Police Officer Stephen R. Gilroy

Stephen R. Gilroy

Police Officer Stephen Gilroy was shot and killed by one of four suspects who were trapped in a sporting goods store, at 927 Broadway, where they had just committed an armed robbery.

In an exchange of gunfire two other officers were wounded and one of the suspects was shot three times in the abdomen. The suspects held nine hostages for 48 hours until 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 police.

Officer Gilroy's killer was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 25 years to life. He was paroled in 2010.

Officer Gilroy had served with the NYPD for eight years and was assigned to Emergency Services Unit 8.