{"id":269571,"date":"2021-06-08T22:50:14","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T19:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/tributes-pour-in-for-retired-cop-killed-in-brooklyn\/"},"modified":"2021-06-08T22:50:14","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T19:50:14","slug":"tributes-pour-in-for-retired-cop-killed-in-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tributes-pour-in-for-retired-cop-killed-in-brooklyn\/","title":{"rendered":"#Tributes pour in for retired cop killed in Brooklyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Tributes pour in for retired cop killed in Brooklyn<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

The retired cop killed in a scuffle-gone-awry in Brooklyn was a doting dad and beloved neighborhood fixture, kin and pals said Tuesday \u2014 as authorities pushed for more details on exactly how he died. <\/p>\n

Former NYPD Transit Officer Thomas Marrinan, 57, was accidentally shot and killed by his pal Robert Velasquez, 53, Monday evening during a fight with a third man that broke out at a pizzeria in Kensington, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Investigators with the Brooklyn District Attorney\u2019s Office were set to talk to both Velasquez and the other man, Michael Soto, on Tuesday to get more details on what happ<\/a>ened before determining whether to press charges against anyone, law-enforcement sources told The Post. <\/p>\n

Soto is still recovering in the hospital from a bullet wound to his left arm. <\/p>\n

A witness who captured some of the shooting\u2019s aftermath on video told The Post on Tuesday that he was driving by the pizza joint when \u201cI heard a shot and pulled over.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoto was holding his arm, and I saw he was shot. He said, \u2018Can you help me?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I told him, \u2018This is a crime scene. I can\u2019t put you in my car and take you to the hospital,\u2019 \u201d said the man, who asked not to be identified.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was drunk, I could smell it on him,\u201d the witness said of Soto. \u201cHe was also bleeding a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The alleged 33-year-old suspect (center) is seen during the scuffle by Korner Pizza in Brooklyn.
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marrinan rushed to the eatery after Velasquez, a retired correction officer, called him for help, saying there was unruly man at the pizza joint hassling Velasquez\u2019s elderly father, police said. <\/p>\n

He was fatally shot, however, when the fight spilled out onto the sidewalk \u2014 and Velasquez pulled out his gun and discharged one round, striking Marrinan and Soto, according to police.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, dramatic footage showed Velasquez desperately urging his dying friend to \u201cstay with me\u201d as Marrinan\u2019s wife wept near him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWake up! Wake up!\u2019\u2019 pleaded other neighborhood friends of the mortally wounded former cop, the witness said.<\/p>\n

Marrinan had just celebrated his son Joseph\u2019s high-school graduation over the weekend \u2014 and was the kind of guy who grew his hair long to donate to cancer kids, loved ones said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anybody needed help, he was the guy to call,\u201d a tear-filled nephew said of Marrinan to the local CBS-TV affiliate.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the reason I became a cop \u2014 he helps people without thinking about himself,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

Marrinan and his son, both redheads, had always been inseparable, family and friends said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were like twins,\u2019\u2019 Marrinan\u2019s nephew said. <\/p>\n

Neighbor Steve Auster told The Post that Marrinan \u201cwas extremely excited\u201d about his only child\u2019s graduation. The dead man\u2019s wife, Annam proudly posted a photo <\/a>of their boy on Facebook<\/a> in his cap and gown.<\/p>\n

The victim had been a Police Benevolent Association union delegate and would sometimes tote his boy along to meetings, a law-enforcement source added.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was always with the son, doing everything with and for him,\u201d the source said of Marrinan.<\/p>\n

\"Bystanders
Bystanders watch NYPD officers investigate the scene of a fatal shooting near E 3rd St. & Church Avenue in Brooklyn on June 7, 2021.
\n<\/figcaption>
James Keivom<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yasser Abou, who owns the Hot Bagels shop down the street from the pizzeria on Church Avenue, called Marrinan \u201cthe last good man standing on Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would buy me lottery cards,\u2019\u2019 Abou told The Post. \u201cI\u2019ve known him for 35 years. \u2026 If he saw an officer in here, he would buy coffee for them because he said he used to be a cop.\u201d<\/p>\n

A woman who owns the Korner Pizzeria outside which Marrinan died said he also bought \u201cmy workers lottery tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a staple in the neighborhood. He helped anyone,\u2019\u2019 said the owner, who declined to give her name. \u201cHis family would come here four times a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amjad Saied, manager at the Magic Deli on the street, added, \u201cI was crying this morning when I found out\u201d about Marrinan\u2019s death. <\/p>\n

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea hailed Marrinan in a tweet Tuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEven after he retired, he continued to protect his fellow New Yorkers. Rest in peace, Tommy,\u201d the city\u2019s top cop wrote.<\/p>\n

\"A
A bouquet of flowers is left in tribute to fallen retired transit officer Thomas Marrinan outside Korner Pizza in Brooklyn on June 8, 2021.
\n<\/figcaption>
James Keivom <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition, Shea retweeted a tribute from NYPD Transit<\/a> which said Marrinan had left an \u201cindelible mark during his years of service in Transit District 30.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who worked alongside Tommy will never forget the care he took in looking out for everyone,\u201d the Transit tweet said above a memorial photo of Marrinan.<\/p>\n

Korner Pizzeria said Tuesday on Facebook <\/a>that it was closed for the day \u201cto honor and respect Officer Thomas Marrinan and family. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cHe always watched out for our staff and always when passing the store asks if we needed anything,\u201d the posting said. \u201cWhen the lottery jackpot was Big he would always buy tickets for all of our staff. <\/p>\n

\u201cOfficer Thomas Marrinan, his Wife Anna & Son Joseph were all family to us. He will Truly be Missed.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n