Life was looking good for Omar Edwards up to the point of encountering a man rummaging through his vehicle in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood on the night of May 28.
A month prior the 25-year-old police rookie had married the mother of his children, 1 1/2-year-old Xavier and 7-month-old Keanua. Wearing street clothes, he had just gotten off work at a job he had wanted to do since he was a child. Perhaps it seemed like things couldn't get any better. In truth, they never would.
He was in street clothes as he walked toward his car parked about a block away on Second Ave. between E. 124th and E. 125th St., where he saw Miguel Goitia rummaging through the vehicle. The driver's side window was busted out.SOURCE: NY Daily News.
Edwards grabbed Goitia, who managed to slip out of his sweater and escape Edwards' grip, Kelly said.
Gun drawn, Edwards gave chase.
At the same time, three plainclothes officers in an unmarked car saw Edwards running down the street. The car made a U-turn, and one of the officers, a white cop with more than four years on the job, got out and fired six shots - hitting Edwards twice, once in the left arm and once in the chest, [New York Police Department Commissioner Raymond] Kelly said.
Edwards did not fire his weapon.
The cop who shot him, 30-year-old Andrew Dunton, had never previously fired his weapon. After the shooting the three officers moved to apprehend Edwards, having mistaken the black cop for a criminal.
As he lay handcuffed on the ground, cops cut off his shirt to reveal a Police Academy T-shirt and found NYPD shield No. 12734 in his pants pocket.
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UPDATED
NATIONAL BLACK POLICE ASSOCIATION STATEMENT
PRESS RELEASE
SHOOTING DEATH OF OFFICER OMAR EDWARDS
MAY 29, 2009, 1127AM
The shooting death of NYC Officer Omar Edwards may be only hours old; however, the known facts thus far combined with the police experience possessed by members of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) reveal that the shooter, Officer Andrew Dutton, was reckless and shot without identifying himself as a policeman and worse, failing to give Officer Edwards a chance to drop his weapon. As has been the case in all shootings of black officers by white officers ---by example the shooting of Officer Ridley in Westchester and the shooting of Officer Young in Providence, the shooting officers recklessly mistake black officers to be criminals and then commence fire without warning. This shoot first and ask questions later behavior clashes with the caution and protocol that we as police officers are supposed to undertake when confronting individuals with guns. Furthermore, consider that coroner’s report shows that Edwards was shot in the back. Consider that Dutton’s weapon is limited to a three round burst. Six to seven rounds were fired. This means that Dutton pulled the trigger at least twice. By the end of the first burst—Dutton had to know he was aiming at a man’s back and wrongfully firing his weapon. Two other officers were with Dutton, yet Dutton was the only shooter. Lastly, after Dutton shot Edwards----Edwards was handcuffed and lay dying in his blood. The officers rendered no assistance to their dying black comrade. It was not until the paramedics arrived that Edwards was tended to. Without significant efforts by the New York City Police Department to cause officers to be more open minded, there will be many more black officers killed by fellow officers. Writer & Member: Christopher Cooper: 312 371 6752 (E-mail: cooperlaw3234@gmail.com); Executive Director: Ronald Hampton, 202 744 2897 (NBPANATOFC@worldnet.att.net) National Chairperson: John Hayes
National Black Police Association
30 Kennedy Street-NW, Suite 101
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 986-2070 (202) 986-0410 FAX
mail to: nbpanatofc@worldnet.att.net
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