New York City Police Department, New York
End of Watch: Friday, January 19, 1973
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: 13082
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 19, 1973
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Three paroled; One died in prison
Police Officer Stephen Gilroy was shot and killed at the scene of a hostage situation in a sporting goods store at 927 Broadway.
Four suspects attempted to rob the store and took 14 hostages when police arrived before they could make their escape.
In an exchange of gunfire, two other officers were wounded, and one of the four suspects was shot three times in the abdomen. One of the hostages convinced the suspects that he and the other hostages would be safer and out of the line of police gunfire on the second floor. The hostages escaped through a hidden staircase as soon as they got to the second floor. The suspects were then forced to surrender to the police.
It was never determined if one of the suspects shot Officer Gilroy or if he was accidentally shot by another officer.
All four suspects were convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years to life. One was paroled after he suffered a stroke in 1998. A second suspect was paroled in 2010, and the third in 2019. The fourth suspect died while at his 14th parole hearing in prison in September 2020.
Officer Gilroy had served with the NYPD for eight years and was assigned to Emergency Services Unit 8. He was survived by his wife.