Philly police officer speaks out on son’s murder, sends message about anti-cop rhetoric: ‘We are human’
Edwenna Ferguson, mother of Hyram Hill, discusses her son’s murder and being a police officer in Philadelphia.
A 17-year Philadelphia police veteran whose son was murdered spoke out Monday on "The Faulkner Focus" about her son’s life, sending a strong message about anti-cop sentiment in the United States and the city’s crime crisis.
"We have feelings, we have families, we have babies, we have children—we’re just like you. But we put on a uniform every day to go to work," Edwenna Ferguson told Harris Faulkner.
Ferguson said that she is thankful to be a police officer and said nobody on the police force is sleeping until they get justice for her son.
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"People look at police, and you know they hate the police, they don’t like cops, but we are human. We are human. They let one bad seed ruin the whole bunch," added Ferguson.
23-year-old Hyram Hill Jr. was killed after being shot nine times in a murder that police believe stemmed from a robbery. Hyram was a mentor to troubled teenagers and was just shy of receiving his bachelor’s degree at the time of his death. He was also expecting a daughter.
Unidentified person walks by Philadelphia Police Ford Explorer. Philadelphia Police Department is the oldest city police agency in the US (formed 1751). (iStock)
Ferguson, who called Hill the light of her life, said that her son worked 12-hour shifts and commuted an hour and a half to work every day prior to his death. She described him as a young man always trying to do the right thing.
Ferguson said she would often text her son that she was proud of him, and texted his phone the same message after his passing upon hearing kind words about his life from friends.
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"Raising a Black man in Philadelphia is hard because my mother used to say ‘doing the wrong thing is so easy, doing the right thing is hard,"’ said Ferguson.
"But he always tried to do the right thing."
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