Omar Edwards

On May 28, 2009, New York City Police Department Detective Omar Edwards was shot by friendly fire. At the end of his shift in Harlem, Detective Edwards, in street clothes, drawing his gun, chased a man down a dark street who had broken into his car. Plainclothes officers patrolling nearby noticed the pair, mistook Edwards for a perpetrator, and ordered both men to stop. Detective Edwards turned toward them with his gun in his hand, and one of the officers shot him. Within seconds, more cops responded to the gun shots and noticed his shield. They were shocked and horrified. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Edwards was promoted to Detective 1st Grade posthumously. He was 25 years old and served with the NYPD for two years. 

Edwards was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Brooklyn. Even as a young boy, he was interested in becoming a police officer. He was a Boy Scout Law Enforcement Explorer as a teenager who wanted to make a difference in his community. He would visit the local precinct and observe how they worked. He proudly graduated from the NYPD Police Academy in July 2007. He was assigned to the Housing Bureau – Manhattan – Impact Response Team. He was a gifted athlete who signed up for the bicycle patrol and played on the NYPD’s Finest football team as a defensive back in 2007 and 2008. He was a big fan of the New York Giants. In his community, he routed out drugs and gained the trust of young men and women, encouraging them to turn their lives around. He was a dedicated officer, well-liked by all who knew him and considered him the nicest guy in the world. He was posthumously awarded the NYPD Medal of Honor, and a park was renamed in Harlem in his honor as the Detective Omar Edwards Park. 

Edwards married his wife, Danielle, and had two sons, Xavier and Keanu. At the time of his passing, Xavier was 18 months old and Keanu was 7 months old. He was a loving husband and father who was living out his dream. His sons meant everything to him. 

Detective Omar Edwards is survived by his loving wife, Danielle, his sons, Xavier and Keanu, his mother, Natalia Harding, and many other cherished family members and friends. 

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage on the Edwards family home through the Fallen First Responder Home Program.