Edward Byrne (police officer)
Encyclopedia
Edward "Eddie" R. Byrne (February 21, 1966 – February 26, 1988) was a police officer
in the New York City Police Department
who became well known in the United States
after he was murdered while on duty.
Byrne's father had also been an NYPD officer. Byrne had joined the NYPD in July, 1987 and was stationed in the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens
. Prior to joining the NYPD, Byrne was a NYC Transit cop
.
. He was assigned to keep an eye on the house of a local Guyanese immigrant named Arjune who had repeatedly called the police to report on illegal activities in the area. The house had been previously firebombed on two separate occasions and the owner repeatedly threatened. As Byrne sat in his car another car pulled up beside him. Two men exited and one of them knocked on the passenger side window of Byrne's cruiser while a second man crept up on the driver's side and shot Byrne in the head five times with a .38 caliber pistol. Two other men acted as lookouts. Byrne was pronounced dead at a hospital. He was 22 years old.
It was later learned that the assailants canvassed the immigrant's house twice on preceding days before killing Officer Byrne, but decided not to kill the lone officer in the patrol car since the first officer they encountered was a young female, and the second was a black male.
The murder prompted nationwide outrage. Ronald Reagan
personally called the Byrne family to offer condolences. George H.W. Bush carried Byrne's badge with him on his campaign for president in 1988.
The four killers were identified as Philip Copeland, Todd Scott, Scott Cobb, and David McClary. All four were apprehended within a week of the murder and were all eventually convicted: Copeland, Scott and Cobb were convicted after trial of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree; McClary was convicted later as the shooter in a separate trial of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. All were sentenced to 25 years to life by Queens Supreme Court Justice Thomas A. Demakos, who had presided over the trials. Cobb, in a videotaped confession which was played at trial, provided graphic details of the killing and also told of the bragging of the participants in the aftermath, as well as indicating that the killing was ordered from jail by drug dealer Howard "Pappy" Mason
who had wanted to "ice a cop." Mason's crime partner Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols was also implicated, although it has been determined that he was unaware of Mason's orders and was never charged for the crime.
The murder had the opposite effect from what was intended. Rather than intimidate the public and police it prompted a concentrated crackdown which saw the two kingpins put behind bars. Mason was eventually convicted on federal charges which included ordering the killing of Officer Byrne. He is serving his life sentence in the ADX Florence
supermax prison in Florence, Colorado
.
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
in the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
who became well known in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after he was murdered while on duty.
Byrne's father had also been an NYPD officer. Byrne had joined the NYPD in July, 1987 and was stationed in the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
. Prior to joining the NYPD, Byrne was a NYC Transit cop
New York City Transit Police
The New York City Transit Police Department was a law enforcement agency in New York City that existed from 1953 to 1995. The roots of this organization go back to 1936 when Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia authorized the hiring of Special Patrolmen for the New York City Subway system...
.
Murder
Around 3:30 a.m, on February 26, 1988 Byrne was sitting in his marked patrol car on 107th Avenue and Inwood Street in South Jamaica, QueensSouth Jamaica, Queens
South Jamaica, known colloquially as Southside & Southside Jamaica Queens, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, located south of downtown Jamaica, the Long Island Rail Road tracks Jamaica Avenue and Liberty Avenue. The western border is the Van Wyck Expressway, and it...
. He was assigned to keep an eye on the house of a local Guyanese immigrant named Arjune who had repeatedly called the police to report on illegal activities in the area. The house had been previously firebombed on two separate occasions and the owner repeatedly threatened. As Byrne sat in his car another car pulled up beside him. Two men exited and one of them knocked on the passenger side window of Byrne's cruiser while a second man crept up on the driver's side and shot Byrne in the head five times with a .38 caliber pistol. Two other men acted as lookouts. Byrne was pronounced dead at a hospital. He was 22 years old.
It was later learned that the assailants canvassed the immigrant's house twice on preceding days before killing Officer Byrne, but decided not to kill the lone officer in the patrol car since the first officer they encountered was a young female, and the second was a black male.
The murder prompted nationwide outrage. Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
personally called the Byrne family to offer condolences. George H.W. Bush carried Byrne's badge with him on his campaign for president in 1988.
The four killers were identified as Philip Copeland, Todd Scott, Scott Cobb, and David McClary. All four were apprehended within a week of the murder and were all eventually convicted: Copeland, Scott and Cobb were convicted after trial of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree; McClary was convicted later as the shooter in a separate trial of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. All were sentenced to 25 years to life by Queens Supreme Court Justice Thomas A. Demakos, who had presided over the trials. Cobb, in a videotaped confession which was played at trial, provided graphic details of the killing and also told of the bragging of the participants in the aftermath, as well as indicating that the killing was ordered from jail by drug dealer Howard "Pappy" Mason
Howard Mason
Howard "Pappy" Mason is an American drug trafficker and organized crime figure. Mason ran a drug smuggling gang called the Bebos in the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood of New York City with his partner Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols...
who had wanted to "ice a cop." Mason's crime partner Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols was also implicated, although it has been determined that he was unaware of Mason's orders and was never charged for the crime.
The murder had the opposite effect from what was intended. Rather than intimidate the public and police it prompted a concentrated crackdown which saw the two kingpins put behind bars. Mason was eventually convicted on federal charges which included ordering the killing of Officer Byrne. He is serving his life sentence in the ADX Florence
ADX Florence
The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is a supermax prison for men that is located in unincorporated Fremont County, Colorado, United States, south of Florence. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies...
supermax prison in Florence, Colorado
Florence, Colorado
The City of Florence is a Statutory City located in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,653 at the 2000 census.ADX Florence, the only federal Supermax prison in the United States, is located south of Florence in an unincorporated area in Fremont County...
.