Lawrence Bryant Aytes

Charleston Police Department — Charleston, SC

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch June 17, 1955

Age 28

The Vigil Panel 91 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 23

Incident

Policeman Lawrence Aytes was killed while attempting to rescue a citizen during the Charleston Tidewater Terminal fire. Detective James Tindal and Sergeant Jessie Benton were killed in an automobile accident while returning to Charleston from Charlotte, North Carolina, to assist at the fire scene. The wives of both officers were also killed in the accident. Policeman Aytes was a U.S. Navy Reserve veteran of WWII.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-SC-B6D3C907
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Lawrence is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Policeman Aytes served with the Charleston Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Charleston Police Department

Type Other

Location Charleston, SC

Platform Identity cpd.charleston.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 17, 1955

Age 28

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Lawrence Bryant Aytes served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Policeman Lawrence Bryant Aytes is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In SC, 138 of 440 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.4% of this state's fallen. That is 31.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Charleston Police Department, 10 of 24 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.

Charleston Police Department

of 24 officers

41.7% Accident

SC — Statewide

138

of 440 officers

31.4% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident