"I got a knock on the door they said accident," he said. "I was thinking car accident, but when they said he was shot, I couldn't believe it."
Someone shot Rich in the head on October 21 and left him to die on the streets of Albany, three miles from his college campus.
But surveillance video being studied by Albany police is giving the Baileys some hope in finding the gunman. It shows a man riding a BMX bike a few blocks from the murder scene just minutes after. He is not considered a suspect, but police hope he could provide some answers.
"They don't know, but they want to talk to him," Jim Bailey said. "They feel he saw something or knows something."
Jim describes his son as his best friend and says the 22-year-old college senior stood 6-foot-3, was athletic, funny and always had a smile on his face. He had just taken the NYPD exam to follow in his father's footsteps.
But when he returned to Albany, police say he became the victim of a random act of violence while walking down the street. His family just wants to know the circumstances
"Why him?" Jim asked. "Why? The reason behind it? It's not closure, we are going to deal with this for the rest of our lives."
Friends and family continue to wear a pin of Rich on their shirts while the investigation moves forward. And a candlelight vigil at the scene of the crime in Albany the night of the murder also shows community support. While all of this unity has helped sustain the Bailys, until police find this person who they say might know something, Jim says his family won't have any peace.
Anyone with information is asked to give police a call. Jim Bailey says Rich's organ donations have already saved four lives, including a 6-year-old girl.
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STORY BY: Long Island reporter Emily Smith
WEB PRODUCED BY: Bill King
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