The killing of Mt. Vernon police officer Christopher Ridley, gunned down outside of a White Plains courthouse, resulted in no indictments this week. The four men who killed him were Westchester County police officers, and the grand jury did not believe there was reason to proceed to a criminal trial.
Ridley was driving by the courthouse in January when he witnessed a fight among several homeless men. Although he was off-duty, Ridley pulled over and attempted to intervene. County police arriving on the scene ordered Ridley to drop a weapon--which was either his service weapon or one he had retrieved from the brawlers. Witnesses claim it's unclear whether Ridley heard the County Police or not, but he was shot multiple times and killed.
Despite early hopes that race would remain a non-issue, the Rev. Al Sharpton eventually suggested that all police view young black men as expendable. Ridley was the son of a church janitor, a mentor to young kids, and a 23-year-old man who joined the police to help his community.
The grand jury found "no reasonable cause to believe that a criminal offense was committed," leading Ridley's mother to say, "I feel in my heart he was executed by the Westchester County Police Department." Ironically, it was Ridley who called for assistance that summoned the four County Officers who killed him.
