Funerals Held For Slain L.I. Police Officers Schaberger, Breitkopf
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- One fallen police officer was remembered as man of generous spirit who often comforted grieving family members visiting the World Trade Center site; another as a beloved fiancé.
Two separate funerals were held on Long Island Friday for two police officers killed last weekend under tragic circumstances.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly were among the speakers Friday at Officer Alain Schaberger's funeral in East Islip.
1010 WINS Reporter Mona Rivera at Officer Brietkopf's funeral
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Schaberger was killed Sunday while responding to a domestic dispute in Brooklyn, allegedly pushed over a railing by George Villanueva, an ex con with 28 priors. Schaberger fell nine feet and broke his neck.
"To have to die like that, it's just a senseless death, and personally, I'm lost," said Shoshone Peguese, Schaberger's fiancée.
Peguese said she still sleeps with his jacket next to her. He was one of two police officers being mourned on the same day on Long Island.
PHOTO GALLERY: Officer Brietkopf's funeral and family photos
A separate funeral was held in Selden at St. Margret's Church for Nassau County Officer Geoffrey Breitkopf, who died in a friendly fire incident in Massapequa Park.
WCBS 880's Sophia Hall with reaction from both funerals for fallen officers.
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One police union official told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera an estimated 20,000 officers attended Breitkopf's funeral on Friday.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey said everyone was still having a hard time dealing with the officer's death.
"There's wrestling with three emotions simultaneously -- certainly grief, compassion for the family, and they're still dealing with anger," Mulvey said.
"It's alleged that someone yelled out, 'He's got a gun! He's got a gun!' That's when the MTA officers approached our police officer," said James Carver, president of the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association.
The MTA was assisting in the ongoing investigation.
"We're not going to worry about who did what, who was wrong, because it doesn't bring him back," said Tony Ryan, Fire Chief of the Selden Fire Department, where Breitkopf volunteered.
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