Ruben Zayas said that he's "fairly confident" investigators will find the killer of his best friend and partner of six years, Thomas Decker.
He declined last week to discuss any aspect of the investigation, including the reported circumstances of what may have happened that night. He says he has "no idea" whether authorities had the right man when they arrested Ryan Larson, who has since been released.
The Cold Spring police force has become more "hyperalert," he said. "It's tough, but we have each other." he said.
"Every day you put on your uniform and strap on your vest, you know that at any given point you're not gonna come back. That's the sad truth about our job. But you do the best you can and make sure you get home safe to your family."
Still for him, continuing on without Decker has been tough.
"We were partners and we were best friends, so for me every day, I wait to get a phone call or some texts," Zayas said.
Like several of his colleagues, Zayas has his front porch adorned with a blue light in honor of Decker. It will remain on for 30 days in honor of a "one-of-a-kind" man.
Their last conversation was hours before the shooting, regarding some information Zayas needed to follow up on. Zayas said he'd leave it in his mailbox, since it was supposed to be Decker's weekend off.
"He said, 'All right, talk to you later, dog.' I said, 'OK, see you later, homie.'"
ABBY SIMONS
