On the evening of January 31, 1992, 29-year-old off-duty NYPD Officer Hilario Larry Serrano was riding an elevator in his mother’s Andrews Avenue apartment building in Morris Heights, the Bronx, with his girlfriend when two men entered and attempted to rob them. A violent struggle and a close-quarters gunfight erupted as the car rose to the fourth floor. Serrano was shot in the face, back, and foot but managed to return fire and wound both assailants. The two men fled the building with Serrano’s service weapon. He was taken to Lincoln Hospital and died of his wounds just over an hour later.

Serrano’s background included service with the Guardian Angels and as an Auxiliary Police Officer before six years on the NYPD at the 43rd Precinct. The investigation led to the arrest and murder charges against both suspects; one of the accused later died by suicide about two months after the killing, and the other was convicted for Serrano’s murder. Does anyone have information about Serrano, his family, or the building on Andrews Avenue that could add detail to this case?