Family hears of a shooting on TV, then phone rings

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Updated: February 1, 2012 8:07AM

For Clifton Lewis’ family, the news of a police officer being shot initially came from the television.

Then the phone rang.

“We heard about it on television. His daughter was on the computer and she heard it,” said Henrietta Fountain, grandmother of Clifton’s 11-year-old daughter, Simone.

“I think, ‘Okay, West Side, oh my God, could it be?’ ” Fountain said. “And I said, ‘No, I’m not gonna even go there.’ And then about a half hour (later) the phone rang, and it was the police, calling (Simone) on her cell phone. They didn’t know how old she was. I saw the confusion in her face.

“She handed (the phone) to me and said, ‘Nana, here,’ ” Fountain said. “I took it and they told me that he was injured and they wanted to come by and get her and take her to the hospital...so I’m trying to calm her down...but I just felt it...and waited. That’s when two detectives...came to the house...and they took me aside and they told me.

“The hardest thing was to tell her, you know, because her dad is everything,” the grandmother said.

The two went to the morgue together, but his daughter wasn’t allowed to view her father’s body because of her age, Fountain said, adding, “We just need to be strong for each other.”

“He was the best. He was the best,” said Fountain. “He loved her completely and would do anything for her, sometimes too much, but he was always there for her and the family. He was just that kind of a guy, you know. Talk about clean cut...that’s a clean cut guy. He was just wonderful.

“I had just called him that same day to come and get Simone for the week if you want...and I was surprised why he didn’t return the call,” she said. “He usually returns my call right away.”

Her granddaughter’s father was a “workaholic,” Fountain said. “He loved his job. Being a cop is what he always wanted to do. Even though I was against it. All he thought about was his job and his daughter...and getting married.”