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The city continued to be be stunned over the murder of a pizzeria employee and two auxiliary police officers by a gunman, who was later killed by police, in Greenwich Village Wednesday night. The police made surveillance footage of the shooting of the auxiliaries public; the graphic video shows shooter David Garvin shooting a point blank range, deliberately crossing the street to kill the officers. The papers are devoting many stories to the victims:
- Volunteering their time to work as auxiliary cops, Eugene Marshalik (left) and Nicholas Pekearo (right) are profiled in the NY Times, NY Sun, NY Post, and Daily News. Marshalik, a 19-year-old NYU student, whose family emigrated from Chechnya 13 years ago and was a star on the Stuyvesant debating team, wanted to work in law enforcement as a prosecutor. He also worked weekends as an apartment building doorman to make extra money. Though Marshalik's mom was worried about his volunteer work as an auxiliary cop, he told her that last time an auxiliary was killed was 13 years ago. And Pekearo, 28, grew up in the West Village, worked at Crawford Booksellers on Madison Avenue and had recently completed a novel. A friend told the Sun, "He was absolutely an angel kid, gorgeous." His girlfriend told the Times that Pekearo mainly dealt with getting "drunk people rides home" when on patrol.
Marshalik and Pekearo will be given funerals with inspector's honors.
- DeMarco's Pizza barman Alfredo Romero Morales (pictured middle right) is remembered as a "Good Husband & Good Son" in the Daily News. His common-law wife, who recently miscarried, says that she had a premonition about something bad when they spoke to each other on the phone Wednesday. She also tells the NY Times she would like some help to bring his body back to Puebla for burial (it's not clear where one would be able to donate).
While a motive still has not been confirmed by the police, they believe that 42-year-old David R. Garvin may have been angry at Morales because Garvin's friend had been fired from DeMarco's. An ex-Marine who worked in journalism (he was fired from the Wall Street Journal as a graphics coordinator in 2005) and was an aspiring filmmaker, some say that he was recently very paranoid. His brother tells the NY Times, “He had no real violent inclinations. He wasn’t a person to cross. If you crossed him, he was an action person. Obviously, we know that now.”
Garvin (pictured bottom right) had moved to St. Louis in 2005, but moved back to the city last year, living with a friend, an EMT, in the Bronx. The police found a gun, 100 rounds of ammunition, and disguises in the apartment. Garvin had also worked at the Racoon Lodge on Warren Street, but had quit. Another employee said that he "couldn't control himself with drinking while working" while the Raccoon Lodge manager said, "You could say he didn't have charisma." Garvin's filmmaking website shows various films he worked on that never got distributed.
Garvin had recently moved to the Village to live with a girlfriend, who had introduced him to DeMarco's. He was a regular customer, but the DeMarco's cook Anthony Ruffino said that he recently changed his routine, sitting at the bar and not at a table. The police say he had been thrown out of the restaurant at least twice.
Now there is a call for the NYPD to outfit auxiliary police officers with bullet proof vests. And the 17-year-old daughter of Milton Clarke, the last auxiliary cop to die in the line of duty back in 1993, tells the Daily News, "It's really dumb to work as an auxiliary. You are dressed exactly like a cop, but you have no weapon." Clarke was given a funeral with police honors, but his family did not receive benefits that families of police officers killed on the job receive.
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"Pekearo knew enough to wear a bulletproof vest, bought with his own money, but it didn't save him when the gunman ran up to him from behind and started shooting just steps from the Morton St. walkup where he grew up."
"But was quit"? Please proofread. PLEASE. It drives me nuts to read the error-ridden articles on this site. All it would take is one quick read-through for the writer to hit the same stumbling blocks that the reader hits.
Again, my deepest condolences to all the victims and their families.
Jen's on WNYC right now.
Jen Chung is getting dissed on NPR by a caller right now.
jen reeks of nyuiness. and then agrees. ha!
Good job on Brian Lehrer Jen. Shouldn't have laid down for that caller who dissed you though.
I think this should just remind us what the police face every day and maybe we shouldn't be so quick to judge them when something goes wrong. It's the wild friggin' west out there and the police are the ones who face it on the front lines on a daily basis.
I found the line "he was quit" particularly amusing and am not sure it was a typo. Kind of speaks volumes about the whole "I quit" line when you know the person probably got fired. Honestly, what's the chance of this character having the luxury or brains to quit anything aside from a good habit?
What can we say about a scumbag like David Garvin? A half ambitious dirt ball malcontent with a penchant for violence. A half-wit hothead with a videogame take on reality and vengence that he didn't have the brains to use in his work to good effect. A loser who thought nothing of the lives he would take or the lives that would affect. Good riddance, stump.
Thoughts and prayers are with the families.
Slight digression - Yes, I was criticized by a caller who thought I was ridiculous for saying that GV shooting was shocking as it's in high-trafficked, popular area. (the caller was from Brooklyn and sees shootings all the time.) I admit to being lucky that I live in areas that are relatively more secure, so I admit that I do have some middle-class guilt. But Clyde Haberman brought up a good point - few parts of the city are as popular as this one, and the story had other dramatic elements (so many rounds of ammo) that made it unusual.
There are, sadly, a number of tragic stories that occur each day that news organizations can only devote limited space to. Another caller wondered why more attention wasn't being devoted to the aftermath of Tuesday's Harlem police shooting of an armed man. I think that if the GV shooting hadn't happened, there would be more attention. Perhaps weekend editions will revisit the story.
Why was the rats at a Taco Bell-KFC story so big? I'd say the location was at GV branch - and it was caught on tape. There are probably many rats in restaurants in the outerboroughs, let alone ones in Manhattan.
So, to sum up, I do think the GV shooting strikes a chord with New Yorkers with the intensity that other incidents might not.
the Wild Wild West? oh hardly.
I thought this was the safest big city in the US.
Please don't go overboard, now.
The police do not have a dangerous Job. in fact, it's a relatively safe job.
so take your police butt kissing elsewhere.
Just thank your White God many people weren't hurt in the crossfire, next time the outcome could be worse. In fact, those white people who were there should play the lottery because they dodged a big one. Between a armed gunman and the NYPD, this was a miracle no one else was injured.
all this sleet and black ice is making this day pretty crappy
btw #11 - shut up
#11.
I agree with you. #8 Is obviously out of touch and in all would be better off returning to the REAL SAFE MID WEST himself, the same mid west that placed Bush and Cheney on the American throne, who are responsible for thousands of deaths around the world.
But then again, it may to much to ask for #8, to a little self -reflecting, he obviously practices, verbal refluxing.
Hey, ching. aka the edge.
don't you have a bad joke to write? better yet, study your ESL textbook.
Neat-o, I have a fan. So popular~~~!
A bunch of crazy liberals roaming around here 11, 13, 14. If you are so HARD why not post with your real name instead of "there's a krime wave" or "tell me what street compares with".
like your name, joe smith.
aint' that right, tough guy. now go research what's the most dangerous job and be surprised.
It ain't your precious NYPD.
Because then they'll lose that self-perceived sense of "mystery" they like to think they're so adept at.
My newfound fan amuses me so, however.
here's Joe jism,
"if you are so HARD", what the heck does that mean.
You mean you have a hard on?
you sick pervert.
I never said it is NYPD or police for that matter. I wasn't even talking about occupational hazards. Why don't you go shootup some pizzaria so NYPD can pop a few into your dumbass?
For the record my name is not Joe Jizz. It's Joe Smith.
here's Joe jism,
"if you are so HARD", what the heck does that mean.
You mean you have a hard on?
you sick pervert.
Interesting how Smith becomes Jizz then Jism. Obviously some Westchester County teenager got the day off and is learning about Gothamist.
More like he's following the "Trolling For Dummies" handbook.
I think that's because Jizz and jism is something "joe smith" has intimate knowledge with.
#11 go back to your cave.
I think this incident has made big news, even international news, because everyone, EVERYONE, who has been to New York has been to Greenwich Village, not just because it's a safe, middle class neighborhood.
I have lived here (in Greenwich Village) all of my life and I am sorry to say that when I hear about a police shooting or a terrible crime in an outer borough, I take much comfort in the fact that it usually takes place in an area I have never been to nor do I ever plan to go.
Regardless, it is all equally tragic and horrific for those who live in the neighborhoods where terrible things like this have occurred.
"There are, sadly, a number of tragic stories that occur each day that news organizations can only devote limited space to"
As for the above statement, it's laughable. I remember just a few weeks back when I could turn on any news station, and at any given moment, they were reporting on either Anna Nicole Smith or Brittney Spears' newly shaved head.
"some say that he was recently very paranoid" - i wonder if garvin was on anti-depressants or something similar...wouldn't surprise me.
as to why this shooting receieved more media coverage than the shooting in harlem, is anyone actually surprised that this is the case? it's seems pretty clear that the media will always go with the most sensational story.
the fact that the shooter knew the first victim (e.g. it wasn't someone shooting a person they had never seen before) and that a total of 4 people were killed and that they have video footage of the shooting and, and...you get the point.
i don't think anyone needs to be feeling any middle class guilt about the news coverage of this story.
Tragic. Glad the guy was shot dead. 50 times.
Because it's the Village, because lots of people were out, and because the story is just so down-to-the-bones nuts, it's getting lots of play. There's also the angle of these two guys being auxillary cops - who are volunteers - and basically direct traffic and call the "real" cops when trouble starts being gunned down. So there are lots of reasons why this is getting real play.
Two things: One, was anyone else shocked to discover that the city can't spring for vests for these guys (do you think a nut like Garvin really stopped to think long enough to differentiate between and auxcops's badge and an NYPD shield?). It's another layer of sad that the auxilary cops are the streetcorner that doesn't get the traffic light until someone is killed.
And the other is this: people, this is the city. Stuff like this is going to happen. Don't sound all shocked that it happened in the "safest big city" or it happened "in the Village" or wherever. Stuff happens. If you want to be up to living here, then deal with it, prepare yourselves. It doesn't make it any less sad (and man, it's sad as hell), but if you're going to be shocked, be shocked at the insanity of it, not the geography.
PS: Nice job, Jen. I thought you handled yourself great, both on the air and above.
Guess the truth hurts for white people when they find out the cops don't have the toughest job in the World. In fact, they have a pretty cushy job with GREAT benefits.
till that day.
Unfortunately, one of the auxiliaries had a bullet proof vest that sadly didn't do him much good.
#29 - orly?
#30 - Yes, but it's still better than having nothing at all. And most untrained folks (and some trained ones, too) can barely hit a person center mass at 15 yards, let alone a headshot.
aim for the groin. And, anyone can shoot a gun, it's not rocket science. Just don't flinch or jerk the trigger. however, when you got nothing to loss (nothing in common) do what Garvin did.
Pow, right in the kisser. To the Moon.
20 and out. I think those are great benefits. so, your "Orly" is moot. ching.
I admit to being lucky that I live in areas that are relatively more secure, so I admit that I do have some middle-class guilt.
Jen: Guilt is like a bag of bricks. All you got to do is put it down.
Best movie line ever.
#32 - oic
It's definitely better to have a vest. I was just sayin'.
When are they going to invent some bullet-proof head protection device.
There is.
It's called a MICH helmet.
No #8 is not mistaken. We live in the safest big city in the world because our police have made it so. They give you half wits the luxury of bitching about whatever insignificant problem you choose. Meanwhile, people outside of your neighborhoods are having guns stuck in their faces on a daily basis. I meant it when I said we should appreciate our police. If we didn't have them your lame hipster ass wouldn't be living in Williamsburg much less thinking about crossing a bridge to Brooklyn. So the next time you are a victim of an actual crime and not some insult to your sense of irony just remember who's going to save you ass when you dial 911.
When are they going to invent some bullet-proof head protection device.
One saved my cousin's life in Afghanistan. They're called helmets :)
Unfortunately, police don't really wear them.
#29: What?
ESU does, but that's about it.
Of course should AP and non-ESU NYPD started wearin' them, it'd just reinforce the "jackbooted thug" mentality some people seem to want to believe in.
I know about helmets, but I was imagining some future technology like a lightweight bullet-proof hood. Does the helmet cover your face/eyes? Just wonderin'.
I grew up in a really nice suburb called Potomac, Maryland. When I was 14, there was a crazy shootout IN MY BACKYARD and two people died. Cops everywhere, helicopters . . . suburbs.
Now I live on Bleecker Street.
I do feel guilty but it's not because I'm middle class. It's because I'm Jewish.
smitty, if they covered your face and eyes, it'd be difficult to see. ;P
Riot cops typically wear helmets with a ballistic rated plexiglass that protect the face. A few foreign counterterrorist units wear such helmets. But again, this would only cause people to complain about how "unnecessarily" intimidating cops look.
You also have to understand that skin-tight armor wouldn't prevent the impact trauma of the bullets. While better than getting shot outright, there's also the possibility of internal injuries from the impact trauma. Metal Gear Solid, this isn't.
I grew up in a really nice suburb called Potomac, Maryland....
I do feel guilty but it's not because I'm middle class. It's because I'm Jewish.
Uh Dave... Potomac is NOT middle class. Maybe for Jews it is but it's the equivalent of Scarsdale or Greenwich! If you think that's middle class then you are a naive little bitch.
I didn't hear the show, but the caller was ridiculous. Sullivan Street isn't middle class. Its wealthy. The whole Tribeca/ Soho/ West Vilalge area is wealthier than the Upper East Side (you can look it up).
The area simply hasn't been dangerous for twenty years. This is the equivalent of a shootout at Neiman Marcus in Dallas.
Ed (#44)
There are lies, damn lies and statistics.
Sullivan Street is not 'wealthy'. It is indeed middle class. It is aka the "South Village'.
I know lots of people on Sullivan Street and they are struggling. Many are the old-timers on Rent Stabilization and the rest are new kids who are doubling up in studios and paying 40% of their income in rent.
The statistics you refer to state that 10012 (SoHo/South Village) and 10013 (TriBeCa) are the wealthiest ZipCodes.
Because SoHo and TriBeCa have huge, often luxury lofts, it skews the stats for tenements in the south Village.
I wish people would get their stats, err, facts, straight when they post some of their odious and incorrect statements.
Dear "I am Middle Class,"
No, seriously. I am middle class too. Isn't being middle class great? Everyone in America is middle class, even the rich people and the poor people. It's our God-given right to claim to be middle class no matter what.
But I'm not naive or a bitch (I am little, how'd you know?). I grew up middle class. Potomac isn't only that place with the fenced in horses on the giant yards where Wonder Woman lives. I grew up on the other side of the tracks from there. It was kinda the "South Village" to the nice part of Potomac's "North Village."
It's funny how the families of the 2 Auxiliaries recently killed are going to receive all these promised benefits.... Yep, my family was promised benefits...but we received NOTHING.
Good luck and blessings to the families of the 2 fallen officers... I wish them an end to the run around they'll get... AUXILIARY OFFICERS ARE NOT RECOGNIZED AS PEACE OFFICERS- Here is your disqualification for everything the city has to offer.