Police ID NY Homicide Suspect Who Fatally Shot Himself In Stamford: PD

STAMFORD, CT — Police in Ramapo, N.Y., have identified the homicide suspect who fatally shot himself in Stamford Wednesday afternoon as 53-year-old Lawrence Byrd, according to a news release.

Shortly before 9 a.m., on Wednesday, the Ramapo Police Department responded to a home on Inwood Drive in the Rockland County town for a report of gunshots fired and a woman found lying on the ground, police said.

A 56-year-old woman, whose identity was not released, was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Ramapo police called the shooting "an isolated incident" and said there was no further threat to the public.

Ramapo investigators identified Byrd as a suspect and determined he had fled to Connecticut, police said.

The Stamford Police Department was alerted around 1:45 p.m., that Byrd was possibly in Stamford, police said. It's unclear why Byrd chose to come to Stamford, an approximate 42-mile drive from Ramapo.

Stamford officers checked multiple locations and later focused their surveillance in the 300 block of Tresser Boulevard.

A man fitting Byrd's description was seen walking on Tresser Boulevard at approximately 3:55 p.m., and officers followed him and approached him on Canal Street at South State Street underneath the Metropolitan Transportation Authority train overpass, Stamford police said.

"As a patrol officer exited the vehicle, the suspect produced a firearm and put it to his head," Stamford police said in a news release. "Within seconds, the suspect fired one shot into his head and collapsed."

Officers rendered emergency aid to Byrd and he was taken to Stamford Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:16 p.m., according to police.

The incident closed area roadways and the nearby ramps to and from I-95 for several hours Wednesday, snarling traffic during rush hour. The area of Canal and North/South State Streets reopened around 7 p.m.

The death is being investigated by the Stamford Police Major Crimes Unit in conjunction with the Stamford State’s Attorney’s Office.

Ramapo police said their homicide investigation is ongoing.