Family Of NYPD Cop Killed In 1978 Reaches Out Following Deaths Of 2 Officers
By Rebecca Granet
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The families of two NYPD officers killed in the line of duty over the weekend are experiencing a pain that Helaine Guttenberg-Ginsberg says no one should ever have to live through.
Helaine and her three siblings lost their father, NYPD officer David Guttenberg, after he was fatally shot while on duty 36 years ago.
"Even though I was 18 years old, I haven't had my father in 36 years," she said.
"It was a nightmare," Helaine's sister, Ilene said. "It really was. It was a living nightmare."
According to their father's Officer Down Memorial Page, on Dec. 28, 1978, 49-year-old Guttenberg was shot and killed in the line of duty when he walked into an auto body shop "to check on a double-parked vehicle." He didn't realize that there was a robbery taking place inside, and when he entered the shop, he was shot.
Remembering Fallen Heroes
"He was a wonderful man," Helaine said. "He loved to have a good time and he would have done anything for anybody. He was a good father. He was always there for us."
The lookout in the robbery, Pablo Costello, was standing near the double parked car and left the scene when he heard the shots, the Memorial Page says. According to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records, Costello was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, and was released to Community Supervision on July 7, 2014.
But as they come upon the anniversary of their father's death, Ilene says her father's memory eclipses Costello's release.
"This is not really just about the man who got out on parole," she said. "This is about the loss that we've had in our lives which is tremendous. The love that we've lost -- our family was broken. This changed our whole family dynamics and that's something that's never going to come back."
When Helaine turns on the television, the scars that she carries with her from that horrific day are hard to ignore.
"It makes me feel emotional when I see [a] 'cop shot' [story] on TV," she said. "They have families, and I know what they're going through, and I can feel for them."
Those feelings were painfully clear after she heard that Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot and killed in an ambush on Saturday.
"I really want to express my condolences to both of the families, and I want the families to know that the NYPD is like a family in itself and that they'll always be there for you," Helaine said. "I want them to know that we understand what they're going through and we will be available to them if they need anything."
Now more than ever, the anniversary of their father's death this Sunday provides them with an opportunity to remember the man they love so much.
"Our father gave his life because he was dedicated to helping and protecting others and we want to honor his memory," Helaine said. "In our family he is a hero and we want to share that with others."
She says family members learn to live with the harsh realization that every day these officers go to work, they may not come home.
"For most people it doesn't ever become a reality, but it does happen and you have to know that it can happen," she said. "It's a horrible thing and it shouldn't happen to anybody but it's something that you learn to live with because that's what your family is about."
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