Grief-Stricken Family, Fellow Officers Mourn Slain NYPD Officer Peter Figoski
WEST BABYLON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Early Tuesday evening, the family of slain NYPD officer Peter Figoski was escorted into Brooklyn State Supreme Court for the arraignment of the five men accused in his death. All of them face murder charges and were ordered held without bail.
Grief-stricken NYPD officers from the 75th Precinct stood in solemn formation Tuesday and lowered the flag in front of Boyd Funeral home moments after bringing fellow officer Figoski's body there for a final salute.
Figoski was shot and killed while he and his partner, Glenn Estrada, were responding as backup to a robbery in progress at an apartment around 2:15 a.m. Monday at 25 Pine St. in Cypress Hill.
"When we took Peter's body out of the hearse, we all gathered around, said a prayer and then we did our flag duties here by lowering the flag," said Charles Spencer, the director of the funeral home and a retired NYPD officer.
Figoski's wake will be held on Saturday and Sunday at the Boyd Funeral Home and his funeral will be Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph's Church in Babylon.
WCBS 880's Sophia Hall With Mourning Neighbors On Long Island
Podcast
As the force prepared to say farewell to their fallen brother, Officer Figoski's heartbroken family spent the day at their West Babylon home, making funeral arrangements and bracing for a horrific week ahead.
Figoski's uncle was one of several family members who stopped by the family's home Tuesday to bring food. He also trained Figoski at the Police Academy.
"He was one of the best guys to go through the academy...he just did everything, never complained about anything," he said.
Officers in police cruisers sat in front of Peter Figoski's Long Island residence Tuesday morning as neighbors mourned his loss.
"He was just a good family man. Always kept the house up in good shape," said Joe DiPietro, who lives across the street. "You see him take his kids back and forth to school."
He said he can't imagine how the tragedy is affecting the family.
"Awful. Absolutely awful. I think about this myself, if it were ever to happen to me, I just don't know how to deal with it," he told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall.
Figoski made more than 200 arrest -- nearly half for felonies -- and earned 12 medals, including eight for exceptional police duty.
Police work ran deep in his blood. Figoski's brother retired from the NYPD and his brother-in-law is still active on the force. The veteran cop turned down retirement with a full pension two years ago so he could stay on the force.
As news of his death circulated in the department, fellow officers closed ranks around the Figoski family. Police choppers were dispatched upstate to pick two of his daughters up from college and bring them to the hospital.
Police vans also escorted various family members in and out of their home on Tuesday.
Known simply as "Pete" in the neighborhoods where he lived and he grew up, Officer Figoski is being remembered now as a hero.
"I feel so bad, you know what I mean? I feel so bad for the kids of the guy, the mother, father everybody," neighbor John Cottone said.
The 47-year-old Figoski was the father of four daughters, including two in high school and two in college. The New York City Police Foundation has also established the Peter Figoski Scholarship Fund, which will pay for the education of his four daughters.
Donations to the Police Foundation Peter Figoski Scholarship Fund can be made online at www.nycpolicefoundation.org. Check donations should be mailed to:
New York City Police Foundation
Attention Peter Figoski Fund
555 5th Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Share your thoughts in the comments section below...
