Yesterday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and other officials gathered for the second anniversary of the deaths of two auxiliary police officers who were killed by a murderous gunman. The anniversary also marked the naming of the corner at Bleecker and Sullivan Streets in the West Village after the two officers, Eugene Marshalik and Nicholas Pekearo. Kelly said, "From this day forward, millions of New Yorkers will be reminded of Nicholas and Eugene and what they stood for."
On March 14, 2007, Marshalik, a 19-year-old NYU student, and Pekearo, a 28-year-old aspiring writer, had been patrolling the neighborhood when they came upon a man, David Garvin, who just fatally shot a pizzeria employee at DeMarco's on Houston. Marshalik and Pekearo, who were in uniform but not armed, followed Garvin, who had over 100 rounds of ammunition and two handguns, up MacDougal Street. But at one point, Garvin crossed the street to shoot them. Garvin was later shot by police on Bleecker; his motives for the shooting were unclear.
Speaker Quinn said, "They were New York City heroes who gave their lives for people they love and people they never met." Marshalik's mother told NY1, "His name be always be on this street and maybe people will think, 'Who was this guy and what did he do?' And Eugene loved Manhattan and his city will always have his name," while his father said, "I am proud but I am sad and it doesn't - I don't think something can take away the sadness. But this is what we have to live with for the rest of our days." Pekearo's mother also said, "I'm glad the Police Department recognizes Nick and Eugene's bravery. It means a lot to us."
Their legacy lives on in another way: Soon after Marshalik's and Pekearo's deaths, all auxiliary police officers were issued bulletproof vests.
