Jan 26, 2008 9:05 pm US/Eastern
Questions Remain On N.Y. Police Officer Death
Rev. Al Sharpton Speaks Out On Cop Shooting
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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A Mount Vernon, N.Y. police officer was gunned down outside a Westchester County government building in White Plains just after 5 p.m. on Jan. 25., 2008
CBS
A makeshift memorial consisted of flowers, candles and cards for 23-year-old Mt. Vernon, N.Y. Police Officer Christopher Ridley, who friends and family members say was always out to protect the public.
While off duty in White Plains, N.Y. he tried to break up a violent fight - only to be shot and killed by Westchester County Police.
Westchester County officials offered their "deepest sympathies and condolences to Officer Ridleys family," at a brief new conference Saturday. They made no mention of how or why Officer Ridley was killed, then announced no questions from reporters would be answered.
The president of the police union in Mount Vernon, Kevin Mandel, said Ridley "couldn't have done anything wrong," and praised him as a hero for trying to break up the assault.
The shooting prompted a visit to White Plains, N.Y. on Saturday by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who called for a thorough probe.
Speaking to reporters in front of the White Plains, N.Y. police headquarters, Sharpton said he didn't know whether race was a factor in the shooting.
Ridley is black. Authorities did not initially reveal the ethnicity of the officer, or officers, who shot him. Sharpton said he would reserve judgment until the facts are known, and expected investigators to do the same.
"As we are calling on the community not to rush to judgment, the police should not rush to judgment," Sharpton said. "You should not do a 12 hour investigation and say it was a justified shooting."
Ridley's father, Stanley, stood with Sharpton during the news conference but did not speak to reporters. Nearby, a group of women sobbed, "They killed our baby."
The Rev. William Mizell, associated pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, N.Y. remembered the slain officer as a music lover who was active in the congregation and would sometimes help children cross the street on their way to services.
"This was a young man who always had compassion for others," Mizell said. "That's how he lived and that's how he died." He said Ridley was single and had no children. Ridley's father is a custodian at the church.
Ridley joined the Mount Vernon police force in 2006.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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