NEW YORK, NY June 04, 2009 —This morning thousands of police officers from across the country are gathering for the funeral of NYPD Officer Omar Edwards. He was shot and killed by another NYPD officer last week, in what police believe was a friendly fire tragedy. This week, WNYC's Bob Hennelly spent time on Edwards' Ocean Hill, Brooklyn block and has this report.

REPORTER: Here in front of the Edwards' family home on Chauncey Street, the steel on steel clatter of the elevated J line punctuates every conversation. In this tightly-knit, working-class half block of brownstones, 25-year-old Omar Edwards is fondly remembered as a man full of promise -- a force for good and neighbourhood stability.

ALLEN: Omar, Omar was my friend. He was like a little brother to me.

REPORTER: That's Harold Allen, who lives next door to the building where Edwards lived with his wife and two small boys.

ALLEN: We played dominoes together. We worked out now and then, and I watched this dude for the five years that I have known him -- watched him turn into a man, to a family man, you know.

REPORTER: Allen says just last month, over a game of dominoes, he, Edwards and some friends were cooking up a plan to get a city permit for a block party on Chauncey Street.

ALLEN: Memorial Day, all the guys Omar hang out with -- we were all talking, 'yo listen, we got father's day coming up.' and most everybody who is playing dominos have kids. So it was like, 'yo lets do something for Father's Day but we can't get permits like out of the sky.'

RESIDENT: And a long-time resident chimes in on just how deep Edwards roots go on Chauncey street.

EMMANUEL: My name is Emmanuel, Reverend Emmanuel. He is born and grew up right here over 35 years the family live here. It is very sad to know that he is gone.

REPORTER: The Reverend hopes Edwards death is not in vain.

EMMANUEL: The officials, they should do something to do something to protect especially the black constables.

(Sound of hip hop lyrics)

REPORTER: Outside the wake in Bed Stuy, schoolmate Troy Duncan recalls how Edwards was always a positive influence, and even inspired him to go on to college.

DUNCAN: I used to slack, and he used to make me do what I had to do to get out of school. He was just that guy that made me do my work. I wanted to go outside and he wanted to, 'let's do this work and then go outside.'

PAUGH: And I seen him a month ago in the barbershop.

REPORTER: That's Gerard Paugh -- in school with Edwards since Kindergarten. He says early on, he was impressed by Edwards' physical power.

PAUGH: I would say strong. You know he beat up the biggest kid in third grade, so I would say strong. He was always physically fit.

REPORTER: Paugh says he and Edwards shared a passion for playing football, and Edwards excelled on the NYPD team.

PAUGH: He was a good football player. That's where he lived. He loved football. He loved his family too, most definitely -- football, football was second, man. Being a cop was last. Being a family man was first for him.

REPORTER: Paugh says Edwards even tried talking him into becoming a police officer.

PAUGH: He tried to get me to join the force and I said, 'No, I like my job at OTB.'

REPORTER: The young Omar Edwards actually joined the local precinct youth council when he was barely a teenager and went on to be an NYPD Explorer Scout.

Later today, he'll be laid to rest after a line-of-duty inspectors' funeral, the highest honor the NYPD can bestow upon a fallen comrade. And he'll be promoted to the rank of first-grade detective posthumously. He had just two years on the job.

For WNYC I am Bob Hennelly.

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