Aurora
Police officer Doug Byrne had received the medal of valor for rescuing people from a burning apartment complex. On Sunday night, the 37-year-old Aurora officer and former Marine was again on his way to help, this time a man having a life- threatening seizure at a park. On his way there, Byrne crashed and rolled his police cruiser, just blocks away.
Byrne died early Monday from massive head and chest injuries.
“He was a true hero, absolutely dedicated to this community,” Police Chief Dan Oates said at a news conference at Aurora police headquarters in front of the Fallen Officers Memorial.
The man Byrne tried to help, Sedrick Niblet, 25, died within minutes of the crash.
Niblet’s mother, Dorothe, extended condolences to Byrne’s family. “Our family joins yours in the loss of a loved one as we mourn the loss of ours,” she said late Monday.
According to police, Byrne got the call of a man having a seizure at Hoops Park about 7:30 p.m. Sunday. He was heading north on Chambers Road, then turned onto East Sixth Avenue, lost control of his car and struck the center median.
He was taken to Swedish Medical Center, where several dozen officers stood vigil. Byrne passed away shortly after 2 a.m.
“I said a prayer for him,” said Emma Perez, who lives near the accident scene. “It’s very, very sad.”
There were initial witness reports that another vehicle fled the scene. But police said the driver of that car pulled over at a nearby business and called police. There was no criminal involvement, Oates said.
It was not known whether Byrne was wearing a seatbelt. But Oates said it is “common practice” for an officer to unbuckle the seatbelt just before arriving at a scene because the gunbelts are bulky.
“What we have was a tragic accident,” Oates said.
Byrne’s death was another blow to a department already reeling from the death of a colleague. In September, Detective Mike Thomas was gunned down at an Aurora intersection after leaving a training exercise.
Thomas’ daughter, Nicole Bantau, was at Monday’s news conference to offer the officers her support. She placed flowers at the foot of a picture of Byrne.
More than 100 officers from Aurora and Glendale, where Byrne had worked for six years before coming to Aurora three years ago, were also on hand.
Glendale Police Chief Victor Ross described Byrne’s heroism in going door to door to rescue people from the Spanish Gate apartments fire in 2003.
“It was a very dangerous situation,” Ross said. “We lost one person, but without the efforts of Doug Byrne and others, we would have lost a lot more.”
Aurora police Capt. Jack DaLuz said Byrne was a training officer at the academy, but he was on patrol on the night of the accident.
“He was always happy,” DaLuz said. “You could tell he loved his job and loved coming to work.”
The man Byrne was trying to help Sunday collapsed while playing basketball, said his former stepmother, Neddra.
The coroner’s office told the Niblet family that Sedrick’s death was related to a heart condition he more than likely had since birth but which had gone undetected, she said.
Sedrick Niblet spent much of his time sharing his passion of the game by coaching and refereeing in park and school programs.
“He loved pouring himself into people’s lives,” Neddra Niblet said. “He loved giving of himself.”
Sedrick Niblet graduated from Montbello High School and was named to The Denver Post’s All-Colorado track-and-field team in 2000. He had worked at the Lowry Air Force Finance Center since he was a teenager, Neddra Niblet said, but was recently laid off and began driving a truck, which he enjoyed.
Members of Byrne’s family declined to comment. A female relative would only say, “He was a good cop and a good person.”
Byrne was single and did not have any children, according to neighbors. He grew up in Aurora and graduated from Gateway High School.
At Byrne’s Westminster townhome, neighbors Larry and Peggy Wagner said they were just getting to know him.
Byrne was a Marine and fought in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Larry Wagner said, a proud accomplishment he displayed with “Marine” vanity plates on his pickup.
Byrne had planned to have the couple over this summer to barbecue steaks. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle and recently beamed about a new purchase.
“He was all tickled because he had just bought a 2005 Mustang,” Larry Wagner said.
Peggy Wagner said she had recently asked Byrne whether he was afraid being a police officer. He told her he was not.
“He said it was OK so far,” Peggy recalled. “He said he had survived the Persian Gulf War.”
Funeral arrangements for Byrne had not yet been confirmed. Police were planning to hold a private memorial Monday night and possibly something public Wednesday or later in the week.
By Monday morning, someone had left a handmade sign on a wall at the crash scene:
“RIP A Aurora Hero.”
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson contributed to this report.
