Officer Martin Young has patrolled the Western District for 11 years and has responded to at least 200 homicides and 3,000 shootings. But until Monday night, he had never seen anyone get killed.Hearing a single gunshot go off while sitting in his squad car at North Mount and Laurens streets, he looked to his left. About 30 feet away, the officer said, he saw a man stand over Darryl Perry, 29, and shoot him several times as he lay face down on the sidewalk.

"At first, I didn't realize what was happening," Officer Young said. "It was like I was in the movies. It took me a second to react -- this guy is shooting another guy to death. I thought about it all night. It was hard for me to sleep."

Officer Young and two other officers captured a suspect a few minutes after the 8 p.m. shooting when the man entered a rowhouse in the 1300 block of N. Fulton Ave. and tried to escape out a back door.

Antwon Edwards, 23, of the 4300 block of Fairfax Road was charged with first-degree murder. The victim, who lived in the 1500 block of N. Carey St., was pronounced dead at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center at 9:50 p.m.

Even in the high-crime areas of Baltimore, police commanders say, there is only a slim chance that one of the department's 3,000 members will witness a slaying.

"A lot [of the] time we have officers who hear the shooting, but by the time they turn the corner, there's a guy laying there," said Capt. Harold F. Parrott, commander of the homicide unit. "This is a fortunate case where the officer hears the shots, looks over and sees a guy shooting into another guy's body. You can't get much closer than that. You don't get those very often."

For Officer Young, 32, this is not the first time he has been in the spotlight. He has earned two Bronze Stars, one for wrestling a gun away from a robbery suspect.

Two years ago, a seven-page spread in Life magazine told his life story, how he grew up in West Baltimore and returned at age 21 as a police officer. "Martin Young grew up in one of Baltimore's toughest neighborhoods," the magazine said. "Now he patrols its still mean streets."

Officer Young said he does it for his 7-year-old daughter, Brittani.

"She inspires me to do the job that I do," he said. "Supervisors can tell you what to do and how to do it. But when Brittani grows up, I want this to be a safer place. If I lock a guy up on the street, it makes a difference."

Officer Young said he nearly shot the suspect as he escaped into the rowhouse. "There is no doubt in my mind, that if the door was locked and the suspect turned back toward me, I would have had to shoot him," Officer Young said.

The crime that Officer Young sees every day does not deter him, but drives him to do a better job, he said.

"We may have lost a generation, but we can't give up the battle," he said. "As long as I wear this uniform, I'm going to war. My daughter tells me constantly, 'Daddy, be careful and catch the bad guys.' "