February 27, 2008

Candles and Bagpipes Honor Officer Killed 20 Years Ago

Officer Edward Byrne, killed in the line of duty 20 years ago, was honored at 1 a.m. on Tuesday at 107th Avenue and Inwood Street in Jamaica, Queens.

He was a stranger to most of the men and women with whom he worked, and he died a stranger. And early Tuesday, exactly 20 years after he was gunned down in the line of duty, Officer Edward Byrne was honored by strangers.

Nearly 200 people, most of them current or retired police officers, gathered at an intersection in Jamaica, Queens, in the darkness of 1 a.m., to remember Officer Byrne, 22, a rookie in the 103rd Precinct who was killed on the orders of a drug lord while he was guarding a witness.

Robert Stolarik for The New York Times
A replica of Officer Edward Byrne’s badge, with carnations and roses, was placed on a stand in Jamaica, Queens, on Tuesday.

“He was only here a month,” said Ernie Naspretto, who was an officer in the 103rd Precinct on Feb. 26, 1988, the day Officer Byrne was shot about 3 a.m. “It’s kind of weird. A cop dies in your precinct and you don’t even know the guy. He was just a kid.”

Officer Byrne’s murder became an instant symbol of what seemed like an unwinnable war against drug violence. The killing led to a police crackdown on drug gangs in Queens that eventually restored order to the streets. One gang leader was convicted of racketeering charges that included ordering the killing of Officer Byrne, and four men, including the gunman, were convicted of carrying it out.

On Tuesday, the officers, many from the 103rd Precinct, lined up in tight rows wearing dress uniforms, hands in white gloves, at 107th Avenue and Inwood Street, where Officer Byrne had been sitting in his patrol car, his headlights shining on a house he was protecting. Now, the property has a new town house condominium with a real estate sign swaying in the front yard.

Aside from the distant sound of traffic, the neighborhood was silent, the streets desolate. A faint orange glow from streetlamps illuminated the early morning gloom.

Two officers who were just children when Officer Byrne was killed trudged through a patch of snow and, next to a stop sign, erected a stand holding a foam replica of Officer Byrne’s badge, No. 14072, surrounded by carnations and roses.

On each side, police officers placed candles, one red, one blue, which flickered in the cold wind.

“Police Officer Edward Byrne gave his life protecting another,” the Rev. Christopher O’Connor said in a prayer. “His ultimate sacrifice shines out to us 20 years later, reminding us of the sacredness of human life and the dangers faced by all who serve the New York City Police Department.” As the officers paused for a moment of silence, the crackle of a police radio told them that somewhere else in the precinct their colleagues were in pursuit of a heavy-set man. He was wearing all black and was on the move.

The bleating of bagpipes ruptured the silence with the long notes of “Amazing Grace” as officers stood at attention, their gloved hands raised in salute. Then the bagpipes played “God Bless America.”

As the officers dispersed, a low-flying helicopter raced above rows of dark houses and leafless trees. The helicopter’s spotlight briefly illuminated the street.

Earlier, Mr. Naspretto, who is retired, observed that there were no politicians present, “but that doesn’t matter.”

“What’s important is that you are here,” he told the assembled officers. “When you’re getting gray hair, make sure that the cops who replace you don’t forget that. That’s my prayer.”