Deputy Sheriff Edward G. Byrne

Edward G. Byrne

Deputy Edward Byrne was shot and killed while responding to a robbery call at a local tavern at 9 am.

Upon his arrival, he stopped a vehicle at the 6300 block of east 10th Street that was leaving the tavern. He had returned to his patrol car when he was shot by one of its occupants. Deputy Byrne was known for wearing his campaign hat, and as he sat in his patrol car, it was thought that the brim of his hat did not permit him to observe the suspects' movement outside when he was shot.

Three suspects were apprehended. One pleaded guilty to armed robbery. The second received life with eligibility for parole in 15 years and died in prison. Those two testified against the third subject, who was convicted and sentenced to death. He spent 14 years appealing his sentence and going back and forth to a mental institution before being convicted and given life. He died in 1995.

Deputy Byrne had served with the Marion County Sheriff's Department for only nine months. He was survived by his expectant wife.