Police Officer Tyron Donta Franklin

Tyron Donta Franklin

Police Officer Tyron Franklin was shot and killed after being identified as a police officer during a robbery attempt at a local fast food restaurant at 462 Broadway.

He was paying for his food when the suspect approached him and demanded his money.

During the ensuing struggle, the man shot him four times. The man then shot him two more times as he lay on the ground after a witness yelled at him saying the victim was an officer. The man also shot and wounded a citizen who attempted to come to Officer Franklin's assistance.

The suspect fled the scene after the shooting. He was arrested by officers from the Paterson Police Department and the United States Marshals Service in nearby Irvington, New Jersey, on January 16th, 2007. On May 9th, 2008, the man was convicted of Officer Franklin's murder and sentenced to 37 years in prison.

Officer Franklin had served with the Paterson Police Department for only eight months. He is survived by his 16-month-old son.