A Chester police detective was shot by a ‘dangerous’ suspect in a drive-by shooting, DA says

A Chester Police detective, hailed as a hero after being wounded in a shoot-out with a suspect in an attempted murder, was released from the hospital Monday afternoon and is recovering at home.

Detective Steve Byrne, 43, was shot once in his left side at 4:30 p.m. Saturday by Torraize Armstrong, who opened fire at Byrne and three other officers who had been pursuing him.

Armstrong, 40, was the suspected gunman in a drive-by shooting that Byrne had been investigating that took place at 11:30 a.m. that day in Chester. He fired a 9mm handgun at a pedestrian before speeding off in his distinct Ford Taurus, according to Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer.

“This was a tragic event, but Detective Byrne has become a hero for everyone in Chester by stopping a very dangerous human being,” Stollsteimer said.

The earlier drive-by shooting was captured by nearby surveillance cameras, and Byrne was able to identify Armstrong as the vehicle’s owner within a few hours.

Later, Armstrong’s Taurus was spotted driving around Chester, and officers including Byrne attempted to pull him over. Armstrong continued to drive through nearby Upland and Chester Townships, and officers from those departments joined in the chase.

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Eventually, the Taurus hit a curb and blew out one of its tires, disabling the vehicle near 14th Street and Arbor Drive. Armstrong then got out of the car and immediately began to fire at the officers, Stollsteimer said.

Byrne, a 16-year veteran of the force, was struck, but the three other officers — two from Upland and one from Chester Township — returned fire and struck Armstrong multiple times. He was taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. It was unclear which of the four officers had fired the fatal shots, according to Stollsteimer.

The gun Armstrong used to shoot at the officers, a 9mm Browning pistol, was the same firearm used in the earlier drive-by shooting, officials said.

That first shooting remained under investigation Monday, and Stollsteimer declined to provide additional information about the victim, who survived his injuries.

Byrne was also taken to Crozer-Chester, and was recovering well, according to Chester Police Commissioner Stephen Gretsky. Gretsky said Saturday was Byrne’s day off, but he answered the call for service for the drive-by and was still working on the case when Armstrong was spotted hours later.

Chester Mayor Stefan Roots said he was in the hospital room with Byrne when he received his discharge papers, and said the detective was looking forward to spending time at home with his family while he recuperates.

Roots, who took office in January, said the city mourns every death to gun violence and he noted that in his few weeks in office, the city’s police department has made a concerted effort to solve crimes, especially violent ones.

“Gone are the days when you could get away with any crime in Chester,” Roots said. “It’s not tolerated in neighboring towns, and it will not be tolerated here. Don’t challenge the Chester Police; you will not win.”

Armstrong has a long record of arrests, including multiple convictions for DUI. In 2018, he was convicted of accidents involving death and related crimes for running over pedestrian Fhatif Ali Muhammad Spence, 24.

In that case, Armstrong told police he had ducked down after someone had shot at his car, flooring the gas pedal without looking, according to court records. His vehicle crashed after a few minutes, and he said he had no idea he had struck someone.

He was sentenced to 24 to 48 months in prison, and served the full sentence, court records show.

Saturday’s incident in Chester was the second time in 10 days that police officers in Delaware County were wounded by gunfire. On Feb. 7, East Lansdowne Police Officer John Meehan and Lansdowne Police Officer David Schiazza were shot while responding to reports of a shooting on Lewis Avenue in East Lansdowne.

Investigators believe the officers were shot by Canh Le, a resident of a home on Lewis Avenue who had also reportedly shot his niece, Nakayla. After the shooting, a fire broke out inside the family’s home, likely started by Le, authorities said. Investigators retrieved the remains of six people, believed to be Le; his brother, Xuong Le; his sister-in-law, Britni McLaughlin Le; and the couple’s three children: Natalya, Nakayla, and Xavier.

The shooting and fire remain under investigation by the district attorney’s office.

Schiazza was shot in his leg, and Meehan was shot in his left arm. Both were released from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center within a few days of the shooting.