CBS 2 News This Morning

NEW YORK (CBS) ― NYPD officials are already moving to change police training following last week's "friendly fire" death of officer Omar J. Edwards. Meantime, his family will be announcing funeral plans on Monday, a day after hearfelt tributes and remembrances poured in from all over in honor of the slain cop.

A long line of cars, many of them packed with officer Omar Edwards' colleagues, rolled by his home on Chauncey Street to deliver a blaring show of support and sympathy for his widow, Danielle Glenn Edwards. Her father said she really needed this:

"It made her feel proud of him and made her happy for the support because she's feeling a lot of pain and I think it lightened her up a little bit because today was a particularly bad day for her," said Edwards' father-in-law William Glenn.

Glenn is a 16-year veteran of the police force who works in the 67th Precinct in East Flatbush. He said something must be done, perhaps more training, to avoid the tragedy of Thursday night, when fellow police officer Andrew Dunton mistakenly killed Edwards, who was in plain clothes, gun drawn and chasing a car thief:

"I'm definetely torn. It is a lot of mixed emotions," Glenn continued.

An emotional victory for the NYPD football team over the FDNY. Team members said they won the game for Edwards. One officer had buzzed the name Omar into his hair. The slain police officer was defensive back on the team until he took some time off this season to spend more time with his two young sons:

"We just got out here and we did the best for him. it was a total tragedy. we're happy we could win and do what we could for him. now we have to be there for his family.

Police officials are moving to change the training to prevent interracial killings between officers. On Saturday, marchers rallied at the scene of the deadly shooting on 125th Street and Second Avenue. Rev. Al Sharpton addressed the crowd, hundreds strong, calling for a federal investigation.

"We have an obligation to have independent people look at it and say why [it happened]," Sharpton said.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly met with the family at their Ocean Hill, Brooklyn home and, on Saturday morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg did the same. Later, he talked about the investigation and indicated that it is complicated and could be lengthy.

"There are some eyewitnesses and ear witnesses, and we'll try to establish whether the procedures that are in place were followed, and also whether or not those procedures are adequate," Bloomberg said.

According to police procedure, it is up to an off duty officer to prove to he is a cop to responding officers, remaining motionless and obeying all commands – even if it means the suspect gets away. Now, there are renewed calls for improved and more intense training for all officers, rookies and veterans.

Officer Edwards' father, Ricardo, said something must be done so what happened to his son never happens again.

"If they can do that to their own people, who can they protect?" Ricardo Edwards said. "They are here to protect me, protect you, but if they can't protect their own people, who they gonna protect?"

A wake for Edwards is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The funeral mass is scheduled for Thursday. The exact time has not been announced.

CBS 2's Dave Carlin contributed to this report on Sunday.



  

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