May 29, 2009 7:56 pm US/Eastern
NYPD Shooting Raises Issue Of Race Relations
New Yorkers Take Sides Over Tragic Incident; Rev. Sharpton Asks For Federal Government To Launch Probe
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Commissioner Raymond Kelly said 25-year-old, off-duty police officer Omar J. Edwards died after being shot within blocks of the Harlem police station on Thursday night.
CBS
The circumstances surrounding NYPD Officer Omar Edwards' death have raised the always sensitive issue of race.
There's disappointment and frustration in New York City as news spreads about a police officer gunned down by one of his own.
A black officer killed by a white one.
Kevin Brown heard the shots from inside his East Harlem home and on Friday was trying to make sense of it all.
"Maybe he didn't show his badge in time for him to recognize that he's an officer," Brown said. "And they probably mistake him as a suspect coming through the neighborhood."
"In a situation like this, it's gonna probably go away being it is a white cop that shot the black officer," Maria Feliciano added. "If the shoe was on the other foot it would probably take years for justice."
About 30 blocks south, on the Upper East Side, residents were just as appalled by the tragic shooting, but reserved judgment on the officer who pulled the trigger.
"He probably had to do what he had to do at the moment," resident Albert Lee said. "None of us can really understand how [it is for police]. It's unfortunate."
"Maybe there are some officers that are too quick to pull the trigger, but it's a scary job and you only have that one second to make a decision," resident Barry Toback added.
On Friday, The Rev. Al Sharpton was less forgiving and called the shooting "part of a disturbing and alarming trend" that he'd like the federal government to investigate.
"There seems to be a pattern where if you're a black officer that's at the scene of a crime you become the suspect," Sharpton said.
"A lot of people still feel that the police are very racist," Harlem resident Laura Young said.
And the New Yorkers CBS 2 HD spoke with believe there is a race relation problem between the police and minority communities that needs to be fixed.
Retired police officer Roger Abel said it's a long-standing issue, especially with the younger generation.
"I certainly believe race relations are still not where they should be in America," Abel said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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