Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Cornel Young was shot and killed by other officers who had mistaken him for a suspect.
Sergeant Young was off duty at a late night diner when a disturbance was started by other patrons. Sergeant Young, who was in plainclothes, observed a suspect with a gun confronting two officers. With his gun drawn, Sergeant Young approached them to offer assistance. The officers did not recognize him and ordered him to drop his gun. When he did not drop the weapon, the officers fired, striking him. Sergeant Young was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The suspect who first confronted the officers was charged with murder in connection with Sergeant Young's death.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RI-7329FEDB- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Young gave the Providence Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Providence community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Young.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Cornel Young, Jr. is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In RI, 23 of 55 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.8 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Providence Police Department, 4 of 9 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 44.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Cornel Young, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Cornel Young, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Cornel Young, Jr. is highlighted in Jan.
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from Providence Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
