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Harlem was the scene of some controversy last night. 25-year-old Omar J. Edwards, a Harlem police officer was shot and killed just blocks from his work. A plainclothes policeman allegedly saw Edwards rummaging through his car. The window of the automobile had also been smashed. In the pursuit that followed shots were fired at the off-duty Officer Edwards. He later died according to Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Reverend Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, said in a statement,
"[We] are completely concerned of a growing pattern of black officers being killed with the assumption that they are the criminals. This calls for federal investigation and intervention to sort out the facts and bring about a just resolve…. Can police investigate themselves fairly and impartially? It would seem very difficult at best and unlikely in fact."
Unfortunately, the circumstances make the officer who was shot seem a lot like those a criminal would be stuck in. I cannot come up with any scenarios where this man would need to break the other officer's car window, go through his belongings, and then flee the scene when interrupted. These are not the actions of an innocent person; these are the actions of a dirty cop.