There is something about the death of Officer Omar Edwards that I find haunting.Last week, a grand jury cleared the fellow officer who shot him to death in East Harlem, to the understandable consternation of the Edwards family.
I don't know the case well enough to comment on the grand jury's decision, but of all the stories I covered the past few years, this is the one I think about a lot. I remember his funeral so well, the graciousness of his friends with the media, and the underlying sense of anger in the crowd. We reporters toss around the word community a lot, but his loss truly was a blow to his Brooklyn neighborhood.
Edwards was a guy who did everything right. He loved police work with a single hearted devotion from the time he was a child. He had a lovely family and adorable kids. And he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. East Harlem, not so far from where I live.
Maybe time will show that the policeman who shot him was reckless, or maybe the grand jury got it right. But Officer Edwards was a treasure, and it is heartbreaking it took his tragic death for the world to get to know him.
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing this story about Omar, I will keep his family and the Harlem community in my prayers. The truth will come to light it always does. Thanks for your boldness in posting your thoughts about the situation. We need more people like him in our communities. Maybe it is up to you to make sure that his legacy lives on. Just a thought?
LaTonya thanks for your thoughtful comment. Yesterday Omar's mother met with the Governor, so we will see what develops.
I was curious how you found the blog?
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