Digital Extra: The shooting of Sgt. Cornel Young Jr.

Father asks for restraint during inquiry

Maj. Cornel Young Sr. says the protests that have erupted following the death of his son have been premature.

Staring out his office window, teary-eyed, a stack of witness statements on his desk, police Maj. Cornel Young Sr. yesterday called for an end to the unrest in the minority community — at least for now.

No more marches. No more protests. No more shouting. No demands.

At least not until the investigations have been completed and he has all the facts about the death of his son, Sgt. Cornel Young Jr.

"I know my son wouldn't want the community split in half like this," Major Young said in his first public comments since his son was shot by two fellow police officers last Friday.

"He loves Providence. I love Providence. If everybody would just take this one step at a time, let the investigation take care of this. But as long as everyone's angry and yelling and screaming at each other, that's not doing any justice for my son.

"I understand the community is angry. I'm angry. But at the same time, I want this investigation to center on what happened. I don't want it to be hampered by marches and people screaming at each other. I don't want the city riled up."

He asked the community to "please calm down. Let the investigation continue. Let's find out what truthfully happened to my son."

In fact, he said, this divisiveness may be hampering efforts to get to the truth of what happened that night outside Fidas Restaurant, on Valley Street, when Sgt. Cornel "Jai" Young Jr. was killed when he stopped by for a late-night steak sandwich.

A fight broke out. The police were called. Sergeant Young, who was off-duty and in street clothes, pulled out his gun to help. But he was shot three times by two uniformed police officers, who say they mistook him for a suspect.

A swirl of questions remain: Was it racially motivated, because Sergeant Young is black and the other officers are white? Were proper police procedures followed? Or was this indeed just a tragic accident, as the police have said?

The shooting has sparked outrage and protest throughout the minority community, where many believe that Young was shot simply because of the color of his skin.

Major Young agrees there are questions and issues to be resolved. But he urged calm and restraint, at least until all the investigations are complete and the facts show what really happened that night.

That's why Major Young was in his office yesterday, for the first time since the shooting, poring over the police reports and witness statements, seeking answers to the many questions he still has.

"I believe the Police Department is conducting a fair investigation. I'm a cop. I have to believe that," Young said. On the other hand, he said, "I welcome an independent investigation by a grand jury or whatever. I just want to get to the truth."

"I want to find out [what happened] to make sure this doesn't happen again — anywhere, to any cop of any color," Young said. "I just want to make sure this never, ever happens again."

MAJOR YOUNG, the highest-ranking black officer in the department, says he never really wanted his elder son to follow his footsteps.

"I always told him I didn't want him to be a cop," Major Young said. "The job was a lot different 25 years ago. It's too dangerous now."

But "Jai" couldn't be dissuaded, and Major Young finally gave his son his blessing. He says he was never so proud as the day his son was sworn in as an officer, three years ago. He couldn't decide whether to hug him or shake his hand before pinning on his badge. "I was so nervous, and he was so proud."

He leaned back, and chuckled at the memory, saying it must be what it's like for a father to dance with his daughter on her wedding day.

Jai didn't want any help or favors from his father or anyone else. In fact, Major Young recalls, they got into a fight over his first assignment — patroling the East Side. No rookie wants to be assigned to the East Side, because it's too quiet and boring, the father said.

But secretly, Major Young was glad for his son's assignment — even though he had nothing to do with it — and he told his ex-wife, Jai's mother, that they wouldn't have to worry about their son on the job.

"My daughter went and told him, 'Ha, ha, Daddy put you on the East Side so you won't get hurt,' " Major Young said. "He came in, screaming at me."

"He said, 'It's tough enough for me to be on this job [with his father as a major]. Don't help me. I can do it on my own.' "

Major Young said his son would come to him off and on, asking for advice on what to do if he got into certain situations. He wasn't one to shirk his duties, or shy away from trouble if he could help, his father said.

So he wasn't surprised when he heard that his son stepped in, while off-duty, to help his fellow officers that night at Fidas Restaurant.

But he never dreamed his son's willingness to help would cost him his life.

MAJOR YOUNG had spent that Thursday night, Jan. 27, at the home of his closest friend, Inspector Luis Del Rio, another long-time Providence police officer, playing cards with friends. He'd fallen asleep, but was awakened about 2 a.m. Friday, when the telephone rang.

Young answered, thinking it might have been for him. On the other end was Maj. Richard Sullivan, who asked to speak to Del Rio. Sullivan probably didn't even realize it was Young on the phone.

Del Rio was clearly troubled when he hung up and said to Young: "Come on, buddy, get up. We've got to get your coat. We've got to go to the hospital. Jai's been hurt."

"He was hemming and hawing and avoiding things and he finally told me that [Jai] had been shot," Major Young recalled, as tears again filled his eyes. They raced to Rhode Island Hospital.

Jai was still in surgery, so Major Young went home to pick up his wife, Amy, and his ex-wife, Leisa Young, Jai's mother. Though divorced, they're still friends, he said.

"When I first picked up his mother, I apologized," Major Young said, his voice cracking. "She didn't want him to be a cop. And I didn't want him to be a cop. But I had given him my OK."

By the time they got to the hospital, Jai's doctors said he was in "extremely grave condition."

Soon after, he died.

TWO DAYS AFTER burying his son, Major Young is back here in his office, on the first floor of Providence police headquarters, dressed in jeans and sneakers. A drawing of Fenway Park hangs on the wall behind his desk, surrounded by photographs of Young and fellow officers and celebrities who've come to town. He said he had planned to have a father-son portrait taken, with both of them in uniform. Now, he regrets that he never did.

He was riffling through an inch-high stack of police reports and witness statements. He wants to believe that the Police Department — his department — will thoroughly investigate the shooting. But as a father, he needs to investigate, too.

"I have questions that need to be answered, and I want the questions to be answered truthfully to me," he said. He hopes the investigation will be truthful, regardless of what that truth may be.

He's upset about the protests over his son's death, saying they're premature — no one really knows what happened. And he's angered by the thought that some people may be using his son's death to advance their own causes.

"My son's death is not an opportunity for anyone to get publicity," he said. "I don't want my son's death to turn into a spectacle for anyone. I don't want the newspaper, or TV, or politicians or the Police Department to exploit the death of my son. I just want to find out what happened."

He said he doesn't care who investigates the shooting, as long as the investigation is fair and unbiased.

He said his son is owed that.

"My son loved being a cop. He was so proud of that uniform. . . . And I was just so proud of him. Not just for being a cop, but for everything that he did. He was just a good kid.

"It's just such a waste," he said, his eyes again brimming. "He had so much more to offer the city."

Young said he's not sure what he'll do when he finally gets the facts.

In fact, he wonders if he'll even stay on the job. "If I'm not totally satisfied with the outcome of the investigation, how could I come back to work and be a cop? It's a difficult decision.

"I don't even know if I want to be a cop anymore," he admitted wistfully.

And with all that has happened, he knows what he'd say if his son, Joshua, 14, or daughter, Jessica, 10, ever came to him and said they wanted to be a police officer:

"No way."