4 Killed In NYC Shootout
South African ruling party supporters sing during their protest in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday May 29, 2012. The African National Congress and its alliance partners march to the Goodman Gallery to protest against a now-defaced painting depicting President Jacob Zuma. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) / Themba Hadebe
A gunman with a fake beard and carrying 100 rounds of ammunition rampaged through a strip of restaurants and bars in a trendy Manhattan neighborhood, killing a pizzeria employee and two unarmed volunteer police officers before other officers shot him to death, the mayor said.
Authorities were still investigating why David Gavin, 32, went into a Greenwich Village pizzeria around 9 p.m. Wednesday, asked for a menu and then shot an employee 15 times in the back before fleeing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. Police identified the employee as 35-year-old Alfredo Romaro.
A neighborhood resident, Tina Lourenko, said she recognized the gunman as a former employee of the pizzeria.
Nicholas Todd Pekearo and Eugene Marshalik, two of the city's nearly 4,500 auxiliary police officers, responded to the shooting and approached Gavin, who crossed the street and fired at them. Auxiliary officers are civilian volunteers who wear uniforms, are unarmed and help patrol streets.
Gavin then exchanged gunfire with uniformed officers, the mayor said. Several uniformed officers suffered minor injuries.
"Tonight was a horrible night for the New York Police Department and for our city," Bloomberg said. "Two men who volunteered their time to make our city the safest big city in America lost their lives helping to keep it exactly that way."
Authorities recovered the 9mm semiautomatic pistol Gavin fired, plus a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun in a bag with the ammunition, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Gavin shot at least 23 rounds.
"He appeared to be ready to take even more lives," Kelly said.
Josh Drimmer, who was at a nearby bar at the time of the shooting told CBS station WCBS-TV, "Hearing that many shots in a row," he said, "it was war. It felt like that for a hot second."
A worker in a nearby restaurant, Nikola Simic, said he saw police officers swarm toward the middle of the street where the auxiliary officers were slain.
"Then we heard a shooting that was like a good five minutes," Simic said.
Pekearo, 28, was a writer with a book scheduled to be published soon, the mayor said. Marshalik, 19, a student at nearby New York University, had emigrated from Russia, Bloomberg said. The mayor said Marshalik hoped eventually to join the police force.
Marshalik and Pekearo were the first New York City auxiliary police officers to die in the line of duty since 1993, according to the mayor. Only five other auxiliary officers have died in the line of duty in the city's history.
The street where the shooting occurred is located near NYU's downtown campus, close to Washington Square Park and near several famous bars and restaurants, including Cafe Wha?, where Bob Dylan used to perform.
Wednesday's violence follows two separate incidents on Tuesday night involving police officers. However, they were expected to make full recoveries, Bloomberg said.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Authorities were still investigating why David Gavin, 32, went into a Greenwich Village pizzeria around 9 p.m. Wednesday, asked for a menu and then shot an employee 15 times in the back before fleeing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. Police identified the employee as 35-year-old Alfredo Romaro.
A neighborhood resident, Tina Lourenko, said she recognized the gunman as a former employee of the pizzeria.
Nicholas Todd Pekearo and Eugene Marshalik, two of the city's nearly 4,500 auxiliary police officers, responded to the shooting and approached Gavin, who crossed the street and fired at them. Auxiliary officers are civilian volunteers who wear uniforms, are unarmed and help patrol streets.
Gavin then exchanged gunfire with uniformed officers, the mayor said. Several uniformed officers suffered minor injuries.
"Tonight was a horrible night for the New York Police Department and for our city," Bloomberg said. "Two men who volunteered their time to make our city the safest big city in America lost their lives helping to keep it exactly that way."
Authorities recovered the 9mm semiautomatic pistol Gavin fired, plus a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun in a bag with the ammunition, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Gavin shot at least 23 rounds.
"He appeared to be ready to take even more lives," Kelly said.
Josh Drimmer, who was at a nearby bar at the time of the shooting told CBS station WCBS-TV, "Hearing that many shots in a row," he said, "it was war. It felt like that for a hot second."
A worker in a nearby restaurant, Nikola Simic, said he saw police officers swarm toward the middle of the street where the auxiliary officers were slain.
"Then we heard a shooting that was like a good five minutes," Simic said.
Pekearo, 28, was a writer with a book scheduled to be published soon, the mayor said. Marshalik, 19, a student at nearby New York University, had emigrated from Russia, Bloomberg said. The mayor said Marshalik hoped eventually to join the police force.
Marshalik and Pekearo were the first New York City auxiliary police officers to die in the line of duty since 1993, according to the mayor. Only five other auxiliary officers have died in the line of duty in the city's history.
The street where the shooting occurred is located near NYU's downtown campus, close to Washington Square Park and near several famous bars and restaurants, including Cafe Wha?, where Bob Dylan used to perform.
Wednesday's violence follows two separate incidents on Tuesday night involving police officers. However, they were expected to make full recoveries, Bloomberg said.
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I accept what you say, however that does not change my view.
We are all entitled to that, I feel I could probably provide equally good reason fo feeling otherwise, but that would not change your view, as does your statement not change mine.
Apologies for ignoring you earlier.
Must go and get some sleep.
ALL THE BEST
MY GUN SAVED MY LIFE once when two would-be burglars broke into my house while I was still in it.
Fortunately, I live in a state where it is legal to kill a criminal if they break into your house while you're still in it, therefore, no charges were filed against me for successfully defending myself.
ALSO, THE YEAR MY STATE PASSED A CONCEALED WEAPONS LAW, RAPE AGAINST WOMEN DROPPED ALMOST 60 PERCENT within the first year. Home burglaries dropped even more.
Kind of hard to rape a woman when there's a gun in her purse....Our concealed weapons law is the best thing to the women in my state.
...
Statistics, statistics and damned statistics.
We can all find a stastistic to suit our argument, we all have to rely on the accuracy or otherwise on the figures supplied.
In fact even the statisticians have a bias, generally to which they would not admit, or often not even realize.
We [eg you and I] use those supplied figures as our fact, I know full well that in some cases, even maybe most, that they may not be totally accurate, but if they suit my argument,then of course I will use them, that is human nature.
I feel logic and reason are my thing, so I shall have a look at the site you recomend.
I would require an enormous amount of convincing
with respect to another view, my opinion has been enforced by personal happenings over the past years, which has resulted in my strong pro gun control position.
However I certainly respect your view, I am not God, so therefore could be mistaken in what I believe, and am always willing to look at anothers point of view.
We will probably remain in disagreement, as you appear just as strong in your belief as am I, and that is probably a good thing, just imagine what a world this would be if we said yes all the time.
I do realize accidental gun deaths have been on the decline for some time.
Enjoy your night
a-human-right.com
"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you,
it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun."
- The Dalai Lama
"Ideas are more dangerous than guns. We wouldn%u2019t let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?"
- Joseph Stalin
"If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves."
- Joseph Stalin
"Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA - ordinary citizens don't need
guns, as their having guns doesn't serve the State." -- Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Hitler's SS leader
"Jews are prohibited from acquiring, possessing, and carrying firearms and ammunition, as well as truncheons or stabbing weapons.
Those now possessing weapons and ammunition are at once to turn them over to the local police authority.
Firearms and ammunition found in a Jew's possession will be forfeited to the government without compensation.
Whoever willfully or negligently violates the provisions...will be punished with imprisonment and a fine.
Berlin, 11 November 1938
Minister of the Interior
Frick" - Nazi Weapons Law of November 11, 1938
http://www.jpfo.org/NaziLawGerman.htm
MY GUN SAVED MY LIFE once when two would-be burglars broke into my house while I was still in it.
Fortunately, I live in a state where it is legal to kill a criminal if they break into your house while you're still in it, therefore, no charges were filed against me for successfully defending myself.
ALSO, THE YEAR MY STATE PASSED A CONCEALED WEAPONS LAW, RAPE AGAINST WOMEN DROPPED ALMOST 60 PERCENT within the first year. Home burglaries dropped even more.
Kind of hard to rape a woman when there's a gun in her purse....Our concealed weapons law is the best thing to the women in my state.
I am eagerly awaiting your response, and explanation for the other 18000 deaths.
Maybe they can be explained.
I did not say approx 28000 murders, I said approx 28000 gun related deaths.
Maybe Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats will pass a non-binding resolution urging Bush to get out of NYC.
LOL, LOL, LOL
...
This person who carried out the killing of these three people does not appear to have taken part in previous criminal behaviour, so the argument that criminals kill unarmed people just does not hold up.
It appears as though these three people died as a result of the ability, to access a gun,by every crazy who would wish to.
We now have another three to add to the list of thousands who have died as a result of the con from the N.R.A. that we need weopons to defend ourselves.
If guns were not made so easy to obtain, then these people who carry out such attrocities would not so readily be able to do so.
It can in part be argued that a knife could be used, but this means coming close to the victim, cowards prefer guns, and if a knife were used it is unlikely to be more than one victim.
There are approx 28000 gun related deaths in the U.S. each year
There are approx. 300,000 people with serious mental disorders walking around at any one given time.
We can all crack, for various reasons at any time, and become one of the 300,000 above, even you Gunownerdan, If I am to be attacked by a criminal, I can not do much about it, but when I am liable to be attacked by any one of millions of gun owners, I feel sure the time is well and truly past, for something to be done.
http://www.a-human-right.com
Posted by GunOwnerDan at 01:39 PM : Mar 15, 2007"
No doubt by 'criminals' you are referring to the New York police, right? They seem to make it a habit of shooting UNARMED victims? And their victims of choice seem to be Black!