What to Know
- The son of a drug dealer convicted in connection with an NYPD officer's 1988 death has been arrested for allegedly selling drugs to a cop
- Scott Cobb was one of four men arrested in connection with officer Edward Byrne's assassination — a killing that shocked the nation
- His son Anthony Cobb, 32, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer
The son of a drug dealer convicted in connection with the death of an NYPD officer who was shot to death while he sat alone in an unmarked police car in 1988 has been arrested for selling drugs to an undercover officer, law enforcement sources say.
Scott Cobb was one of four men arrested in connection with officer Edward Byrne's assassination — a killing that shocked the nation.
His son Anthony Cobb, 32, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer, according to law enforcement sources.
The younger Cobb was arrested in the same Queens precinct his father was arrested in more than three decades ago. His attorney information wasn't immediately available.
Police held a memorial service for Byrne back in 2017. The young officer was the son of a former police lieutenant.
Four men fatally gunned down the New York City policeman as he guarded a drug witness in 1988. Larry Byrne, a former assistant federal prosecutor, publicly said his brother's killers should never be released from prison. He issued the public plea along with NYPD officers and Sen. Charles Schumer in 2012.
"The assassination of my brother Eddie was a terrible crime and a terrible tragedy," said Larry Byrne. "In order to protect our city and all police officers in the future, these four convicted murderers should never be granted parole."
Local
Byrne's slaying spurred local and national anti-crime initiatives. About 10,000 uniformed police officers from around the country attended his funeral.
Byrne was shot as he sat alone in a marked police car in South Jamaica, Queens. The 22-year-old officer was guarding a house that had been firebombed after the resident repeatedly complained about neighborhood drug dealers.
Philip Copeland directed the hit on orders from a jailed drug dealer. Todd Scott distracted Byrne while David McClary shot him five times in the head at point blank range. Scott Cobb was the wheelman.
In the aftermath of the killing, the NYPD, which saw it as a defiant message from the drug world, established teams of undercover officers to sweep dealers off the streets in drug-plagued neighborhoods. A federal police funding program was named in Byrne's memory.
Byrne's father presented then-GOP nominee Bush with his son's police shield during the presidential election campaign. Bush showed the shield to audiences around the country when he spoke about the need to crack down on illegal drugs.
