Bio & Incident Details
Age: 22
Tour: 7 months
Badge # 14072
Cause: Gunfire
Incident Date: 2/26/1988
Weapon: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect: Sentenced to life
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Police Officer Edward Byrne was shot and killed from ambush at the intersection of Inwood Street and 107th Avenue in South Jamaica, Queens, while protecting a witness in a drug case.
He was parked in a marked patrol car when two suspects approached him. One of suspects knocked on the passenger window to distract him as the second suspect ran up to him beside the driver's window and opened fire, striking him in the head five times. Two additional suspects served as lookouts.
The four suspects were members of a drug ring who were instructed to kill a police officer by their leader who was in a New York prison for drug trafficking. The four were apprehended, convicted of murder, and sentenced to 25 years to life. Three of the four subjects were denied parole in November 2012.
The gang's leader was also convicted of Officer Byrne's murder and sentenced to life.
Officer Byrne had served just seven months with the New York City Police Department. He is survived by his parents and three brothers. Officer Byrne's father was also a New York City Police Officer.
