Sep 1, 2008 11:30 pm US/Eastern
Cop's Death Rocks Mount Vernon Police Dept.
23-Year-Old Officer Found Shot In Parking Garage; Incident Being Investigated As Probable Suicide
Reporting
Lou Young
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBS) ―
In a department of about 200 members, the death Monday of young rookie cop hit hard, especially since it was the second death for the small department so far this year.
Members of the Mount Vernon Police force began converging on their department's headquarters late Labor Day afternoon after hearing of the gunshot death of a 23-year-old officer in a parking garage opposite the city's main police building. The incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. and is being investigated as a probable suicide.
The young cop's name is being initially withheld at the request of his family, who sources said, has deep roots in Westchester County's law enforcement community. Mount Vernon Police Commissioner David Chong confirmed the death and the ongoing investigation and said he was especially shaken by the news.
"This young officer had tremendous potential," Chong told CBS 2 HD. "He was assigned to patrol. The medical examiner and the detective squad are looking into it, but right now we are not looking for suspects. We believe this is an internal matter."
The small department was shaken to its core early this year when Officer Christopher Ridley was gunned down in neighboring White Plains trying to stop a beating. In that incident, Westchester County Police officers responding to a call for help mistook Ridley for a criminal and shot him dead on the plaza directly in front of a county court building.
Commissioner Chong said Ridley and the officer who died Monday knew each other. Both were 23.
"It's a small department," Chong explained.
It is also tight knit.
"This is a young police department," Chong added. "The aggregate age is probably under 30 and this is the second officer we've lost this year. It really hits home."
The department is making grief and trauma counseling available to the entire force.
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