Larry Byrne, the former head of the NYPD Legal Bureau, died Sunday evening, the NYPD said. (Courtesy of the NYPD)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Larry Byrne, the former head of the NYPD Legal Bureau, died Sunday night at the age of 61, the department announced.
Larry Byrne, whose brother — rookie Officer Eddie Byrne — was tragically killed in 1988 while on duty, was found unconscious inside of his Battery Park City home in Manhattan before being rushed to the hospital, where he later died, the Daily News and other outlets reported.
“We mourn the death of Larry Byrne, our former deputy commissioner for legal matters, who passed away Sunday evening,” the NYPD wrote on Twitter Monday. “The Byrne family has deep ties to policing in NYC, his father was a cop, & his brother, Edward Byrne, was tragically assassinated in the line of duty in 1988.”
Larry Byrne served as the department’s top lawyer from 2014 to 2018.
Throughout his career, he has been a forceful voice against the parole of the four people responsible for his younger brother’s death, and for others convicted of killing officers, said PBA President Pat Lynch in a statement.
“Our hearts break for the entire Byrne family, a family that has already endured too much,” said Lynch.
“Commissioner Byrne was a good friend and a fierce fighter, especially when it came to his hero brother’s memory,” Lynch added. “He worked tirelessly to ensure that his brother’s killers — and all cop killers — never escaped justice.”
“We will carry on that fight in his name,” Lynch said.