Honor Murdered Auxiliary Cops
'Volunteers Gave Their Lives'

By REUVEN BLAU

Thousands of friends, family members, and colleagues gathered this past weekend to say their final goodbyes to the two unarmed Auxiliary Police Officers who were fatally shot March 14 by an assailant they had attempted to apprehend after he killed a man working in a restaurant in Greenwich Village.

NICHOLAS PEKEARO

The officers, Nicholas Pekearo, 28, and Yevgeniy Marshalik, 19, were remembered as caring and ambitious individuals, who both dreamed of joining the NYPD as full-time cops. Mr. Pekearo had written three books and was looking for a publisher, while Mr. Marshalik was a standout on his high school debate team and hoped to attend law school.

'Prevented Worse'

They were gunned down by David Garvin while pursuing him after he left De Marco's Pizzeria and Restaurant on West Houston and MacDougal Sts., following his shooting of bartender Alfredo Romero Morales 15 times in the back.

According to authorities, the officers heard about the attack in the pizzeria over their police radio. They came upon Mr. Garvin and ordered him to drop his bag, which police later discovered was holding a second gun - a .380-caliber Russian pistol - and 90 rounds of ammo.

EUGENE MARSHALIK

"Their heroic efforts prevented an even worse tragedy," Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly told reporters after displaying a video of the incident.

The Mayor posthumously honored the men with the Heroic Award Act, which includes a payment of $66,000 each to their families. The city also plans to help the families apply for an approximately $295,000 payment under the Federal Public Safety Officers program, as well as for $50,000 under the state's Workers' Compensation Law.

'Do What We Can'

"These two brave men gave their lives for our city while working on a volunteer basis," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement. "Since they are not eligible for the line-of-duty death benefits granted to Police Officers, we are taking other steps to provide some compensation for the families. We will do everything we can to get them all the benefits they deserve. But having said that, it's just money; it doesn't bring back their lives, and we continue to share their grief."

The fatal incident escalated when the officers chased Mr. Garvin, who punched Mr. Marshalik and then took off down Sullivan St., while reloading his gun. Mr. Garvin suddenly turned on the officers, and fired six times at Officer Pekearo, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest and had joined the volunteer force in 2003.

Afterwards, he ran over to Officer Marshalik, as he knelt down behind the back of a car. "Garvin stood over Officer Marshalik and shot him execution-style," Mr. Kelly said.

An armed NYPD officer raced down the middle of the street right afterwards, shooting at Mr. Garvin, who tried to escape inside the Village Tannery on Bleecker St., according to reports.

Ignored Cops' Order

When he emerged, officers ordered him to drop his weapon. But he failed to comply, and was shot dead by the responding cops.

The city has 4,500 Auxiliary Police Officer volunteers who receive 64 hours of classroom instruction and are trained to use their radios to call for help. They often assist NYPD officers at large events such as parades and sporting events.

Officers Pekearo and Marshalik were the seventh and eighth such volunteers to die in the line of duty since the force was started. "These are true heroes," Mr. Kelly said. "They were doing everything we could possibly ask them to do, following their instructions and observing."

Earlier in the week, a Brooklyn transit cop was stabbed in the head with a hunting knife after he tried to give a summons to an ex-con for smoking inside the Broadway Junction subway station. Officer Angel Cruz shot and killed his alleged attacker, Hugo Hernandez, an illegal Guatemalan immigrant who sneaked back into the country after being deported for attacking six cops in New Jersey.

In addition, Police Officer Robert Tejada was shot in the stomach and ankle on March 13 after responding to a call about a man with a gun in a Harlem restaurant. His assailant was shot and killed by fellow cops.