Sunday morning's fatal shooting of a suspect by Cincinnati Police remains under investigation, but the public should take comfort that the official response has been open and prompt.

Following guidelines established in the aftermath of the 2001 riots, city officials moved quickly to make the facts of the case known. The shooting of Andre Sherrer by Officer Michael Schulte in a Northside alley occurred about 4 a.m. Shortly after noon, city officials held a press conference that identified the officer and suspect with their respective records. Diagrams of the scene were presented, along with pictures showing the officer's injuries. Investigators said the officer responded to a report of a break-in and chased Sherrer into the alley. The suspect grabbed Schulte's nightstick and beat him with it before the officer fired the fatal shots. Welts on the officer's head were clearly visible in the photographs presented by police.

Ranking members of the police department, as well as Mayor Charlie Luken and City Manager Valerie Lemmie responded quickly, speaking to the families of the officer and the suspect and briefing community leaders. Arriving at the scene soon after the shooting was a representative of the new Citizen Complaint Authority, which will conduct its own review of the incident.

All of this was in marked contrast to what happened after the April 2001 shooting death in Over-the-Rhine of Timothy Thomas, an unarmed suspect, by Officer Stephen Roach. In that case it was more than a day and a half before the city made any kind of public response, allowing suspicion and resentment in the community to build over the circumstances of the shooting. Anger boiled over into the streets and the city suffered three days of rioting.

Last year the city signed a collaborative agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and plaintiffs in a lawsuit over racial profiling by police. The agreement revised the city's use-of-force policy and the way complaints against the police are monitored. All parties of the agreement were briefed about the shooting Sunday morning.

The city is doing its part under the agreement. It is now the responsibility of everyone else in the city to do theirs, and remain calm while the police and civilian investigations proceed.

MORE COVERAGE:
• Police: Fatal shooting 'reasonable'
• Officials hurry to expedite details
• Text of police, emergency calls
Video of police news conference