Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Charles Byrd succumbed to injuries he received in a vehicle crash on September 19, 1963. Officer Bryd was a passenger in the patrol vehicle being driven by his partner when they engaged in a pursuit on Pennington Bend Road. The patrol car left the roadway on a sharp curve near McGavock Road and struck a fence. The fence post crashed into the windshield and hit Officer Byrd in the head. Officer Byrd was transported to General Hospital, where he died from his injuries a week later. The driver of the pursued car was never apprehended. Officer Byrd had served in law enforcement for just under 2.5 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, daughter, father, three sisters, and four brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-65533C1A- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Byrd gave the Metro Nashville Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Nashville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Byrd.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Charles Reuben Byrd is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Metro Nashville Police Department, 7 of 20 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Reuben Byrd's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Reuben Byrd Compares
Offender Outcome
Never apprehended
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Reuben Byrd is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
19 officers from Metro Nashville Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
