How a bullet from the gun that shot John Lennon became an apology gift to a Newcastle policeman

A bullet fired from the gun that shot John Lennon, mounted and framed with a photograph of Superintendent Brian Taylor holding the gun that Mark David Chapman used to murder Lennon, and a plaque reading 'A bullet from the gun which shot John Lennon given to Supt. B.W. Taylor on a visit to New York City Police, September 1984', 21 x 27cms.
The bullet and cartridge, from the same gun that was used to shoot John Lennon, are being auctioned this week. Credit: Anderson and Garland Auctioneers

A bullet fired from the gun that was used to shoot John Lennon became a gift of an apology from the New York Police Department to a British policeman.

Superintendent Brian William Taylor was on a Stateside trip with school children in 1984 when he paid a visit to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

He was caught up, unarmed, in a shooting and later received a gift as an apology. The NYPD had an idea for The Beatles fan.

They took him to a nearby museum and gave him the chance to hold and shoot the gun used to assassinate Lennon. He was given the bullet and cartridge as a gift.

Wind the clock forward 40 years and that same bullet and cartridge, mounted and framed with a photograph of the late policeman, is set to be sold off.

Newcastle-based Anderson and Garland were set to auction off the item, which had been estimated to go for between £1,500 and £2,000.

A photograph captures Superintendent Brian Taylor holding the gun used to shoot music legend John Lennon. Credit: Anderson and Garland Auctioneers

Detail of its provenance on the auction house website read: "While in New York on patrol with the NYPD, Taylor was involved in a shooting and, being both British and a visitor, he was the only officer unarmed.

"By way of an apology, and in the knowledge of his being British and a Beatles fan, they took him to a small museum in the Forensic Investigation Division of the New York Police Department in New York City.

"There he was allowed to fire the weapon that fired the bullets that shot one of music's best and most beloved stars, John Lennon.

"The bullet and cartridge were retrieved and given to Taylor as a gift."

Superintendent Brian Taylor, who retired from the force as Chief Superintendent, had the bullet and cartridge mounted and hung on the wall of his office for the rest of his career.

Anderson and Garland added that the late policeman's family have now decided to pass on the item with its John Lennon link to another fan of The Beatles.

The framed bullet was later withdrawn from sale.

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