Man accused of killing Hillcrest woman kills himself when found in Connecticut: Police
HILLCREST − A man accused of fatally shooting a 56-year-old woman on Wednesday morning killed himself hours later when approached by police in Stamford, Connecticut, authorities said.
Ramapo police had tracked Lawrence Byrd, 53, to Connecticut after the woman with whom he had a relationship was fatally shot at her home on Inwood Drive, Police Chief Martin Reilly said.
She died at Good Samaritan Hospital from multiple gunshots to her upper body, police said. She had lived with her two adult sons. Police declined to release her name because she's a domestic violence victim.
Ramapo police learned Byrd had ties to the Connecticut city and notified Stamford police at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday that they were looking for Byrd as part of a homicide investigation, Stamford police said in a news release.
Stamford and Ramapo officers found a man fitting Byrd's description at about 3:55 p.m. after checking multiple locations, focusing on 300 Tresser Boulevard. Officers followed Byrd and approached him on Canal Street at South State Street underneath the MTA train overpass, Stamford police said.
As an officer exited the vehicle, Byrd produced a firearm and put it to his head, police said. Within seconds, the suspect fired one shot into his head and collapsed, police said.
Stamford officers rendered CPR and EMS medics took him to Stamford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:16 p.m., police said.
The death is being investigated by the Stamford Police Major Crimes Unit in conjunction with Stamford's State Attorney’s Office.
Ramapo police found the woman unconscious on the front porch of 16 Inwood Drive at 8:56 a.m.
Reilly declined to release details of the investigation that led detectives to identify Byrd and track him to Connecticut.
Police canvassed the residential neighborhood, talking to neighbors and getting information on the shooting.
"Our goal is to make an arrest," Reilly said Wednesday afternoon. "I don't want to comment or release details."
Ramapo police were assisted by the Rockland Sheriff’s Office, the Rockland District Attorney’s Office, New York State Police, the Norwalk Police Department, the Stamford Police Department, and the Rockland County Intelligence Center.
The investigation is continuing. Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call the Ramapo Police Department at 845-357-2400.
The fatal shooting marked the first homicide in Rockland this year. Three people were murdered in 2023 after six in 2022.
On Wednesday morning, Agusto Medina of Hillcrest said he didn’t hear any gunshots but was surprised something happened in this neighborhood.
“This neighborhood is pretty safe,” he said. “I’ve been here for three years and nothing like this has ever happened before.”
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Accused killer of Hillcrest woman kills himself when located in Conn.
