NYPD Cop from Cortlandt Killed While on Duty
A New York City police officer from Cortlandt Manor fell to his death on Sunday, Mar. 13 when he was shoved over a railing by a suspect in Brooklyn.
Alain Schaberger, 42, a ten-year member of the force, fell 9 feet down a stairwell into a basement while arresting a domestic violence suspect in at a brownstone in Brooklyn. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly stated that Schaberger landed on his head and broke his neck. He was pronounced dead at Lutheran Hospital.
Kelly said Schaberger and other officers were responding to a domestic violence call in Brooklyn. Police were trying to take George Villanueva, a 42-year-old man with a history of domestic violence arrests into custody when he began to resist.
Villanueva has been arrested 28 times, and was released from prison in 2005. Most recently Mr. Villanueva was arrested on February 4 of this year for violating an order of protection obtained by a woman.
According to Kelly, the man used both hands to push Schaberger over the railing. He has been charged with first-degree murder.
Schaberger was born in Vietnam and came to the U.S. when he was 5 years old. His father was an Army vet who worked as a civilian guard at the U.S. Embassy and his mother is Vietnamese. He and his sister Tracy were raised in East Islip, NY.
He served in the Navy from 1991 to 1995 and joined the police academy in 2001, he work in Manhattan patrolling Ground Zero checkpoints before being transferred to the 84 Precinct in Brooklyn six years ago. While an officer he earned an Excellent Police Duty medal.
Schaberger lived in Cortland Manor with Shoshone Peguese, 45 and her two children. The two intended to marry.
Poughkeepsie Police Officer John Falcone was killed last month when responding to a similar domestic violence situation. Kelly stated that NYPD Officers respond to over 700 domestic dispute calls daily.
Senator Greg Ball is currently sponsoring legislation that calls for the death penalty in cases where law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
