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Deadly Village shootout a form of revenge?

Thursday, March 15, 2007

(New York - WABC, March 15, 2007) (WABC) -- A gunman executed a bartender and then fatally shot two unarmed auxiliary police officers before he was killed in a wild gunfight with plainclothes officers on a packed Greenwich Village street.

Eyewitness News reporter Stacey Sager has the latest and is live at the scene.

Four people are now dead and three of them are innocent victims. Police are now investigating if this was some sort of act of revenge against the restaurant.

Witnesses said the gunman disguised himself wearing a fake beard and had been carrying a bag with another weapon, a .380 caliber, and 100 rounds of unspent ammunition.

It all started around 9:00 last night on McDougal Street and West Houston, rapid gunfire and people running for cover.

"We heard what sounded like a whole firecracker string going off...I thought, that doesn't sound good," eyewitness Jeff Sears said.

Police and witnesses say 32-year-old David Garvin, strolled into DeMarco's pizzeria, ready to kill.

"They said gunman entered the restaurant, exchanged a few words with the employee who presented him with a menu. The gunman then shot him in the back, firing 15 rounds," said NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

The 35-year-old worker who was killed, has been identified as Alfredo Romero, a Mexican immigrant. His brother returned to the scene this morning still in shock and filled with questions about the shooter.

"I think he was crazy, you know. I don't know why he did that," said the victim's brother, Marino Romero.

The tragedy doesn't end there. Police say as Garvin ran away on Sullivan Street, two unarmed auxiliary cops pursued him but they would be no match for Garvin's two guns and 100 rounds of ammo. that remain.

"He was running on one side of the street and they were on the other. He literally crossed the street with his gun out to kill them in cold blood," said Mayor Bloomberg.

The victims were 19-year-old Eugene Marshalik and 28-year-old Nicholas Pekearo.

The suspect David Garvin was killed moments later out on the street after firing at other cops.

"There were at least six or seven cops standing over this guy laying face down in the street. He was obviously shot, you know, bleeding out on the street," said eyewitness Jeff Sears.

At noontime, the question of motive was being looked into. Witnesses who were at the restaurant before say that the gunman or a friend may have worked there before and been fired.

According to reports, the gunman David Garvin lived near the restaurant and had moved there only a couple of weeks ago.

Eyewitness News reporter Lisa Colagrossi takes a look at the lives of the auxiliary officers gunned down while trying to help keep the streets of New York City safe.

These two auxiliary officers are the first to killed in the lined of in 14 years. They had promising young lives but they were cut short by a gunman's bullet.

19-year-old Eugene Marshalik and 28-year-old Nicholas Pekearo heard the crackle of their police radio last night when they heard the description a man who had just killed a bartender. They spotted, and armed with only batons, they pursued the suspect down Sullivan Street. The gunman turned around and shot them both.

"Two men who volunteered their time to make our city the safest big city in America lost their lives helping keep it exactly that way," Mayor Bloomberg said, adding that "an innocent civilian was also fatally shot."

The shooting sent a chill through the NYPD. Two ambulances carrying the officers bodies drove slowly past the 6th Precinct, a final salute from their colleagues.

Nicholas Pekearo, of Greenwich Village. He's been an auxiliary officer since 2003 and he's a writer who was hoping to soon have his book published.

Neighbors are still finding his death difficult to comprehend.

"He was really, really kind. He was always, sort of looking out for the building and I would always see him in his uniform," said one neighbor.

Also, 19-year-old Eugene Marshalik, is an immigrant from Russia. He's been on the force for 13 months and was a student at NYU. He graduated Stuyvesant High School. His father told Mayor Bloomberg he wanted a career in law enforcement.

An NYU spokesperson issued a statement:

"The NYU community grieves for the tragic loss of Eugene Marshalik, taking from our midst far too soon in a senseless act of violence. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones who are in our thoughts and our hearts." - John Beckman.

"Day in and day out they sacrificed their free time and energy for the people of our city", NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said .

Exactly who are and what are auxiliary police officers?

There are 4,500 of them serving the NYPD and 30 of them serving at the 6th Precinct. Their job is to observe and report to the NYPD police officers when they encounter a crime.

They are not given an NYPD issued gun or vest, but they are issued batons and radios. However, one of the slain auxiliary officers was wearing a bulletproof vest, but Bloomberg said the vests would not have saved their lives.

Auxiliary officers wear uniforms that are nearly identical to NYPD officers.

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