CBS2 Exclusive: Widow Of Man Killed By Cops Says Husband Wasn't A Violent Man
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police say a man stabbed a police officer who shot and killed him in response in Brooklyn this week, but his widow said in a statement that her husband was not capable of violence.
Police said NYPD Transit District 54 Officer Filippo Gugliara, 24, was stabbed in the neck Thursday in Brighton Beach by 58-year-old Oleg Tcherniak, who allegedly assaulted a 78-year-old woman.
But Tcherniak's widow said her husband was not a violent man.
"He was not a violent man, nor was he a man known to lose his temper," Larisa Cherniak said, speaking exclusively to CBS2's Matt Kozar.
Sitting next to her daughter, Tcherniak read from a prepared statement, but her lawyer wouldn't let her answer any questions.
She said her husband wasn't capable of violence.
"Oleg had a history of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. To think he could overpower and attack a police officer is unbelievable to me," she said.
But the woman who Tcherniak was accused of assaulting had a different story.
"Pushed me, I fell to the sidewalk, and I screamed," said victim Ada Volis. "I don't know what I screamed, 'ahhhhh!'"
Police said the 24-year-old officer was stabbed in the neck Thursday in Brighton Beach by 58-year-old Oleg Tcherniak, who allegedly assaulted a 78-year-old woman.
Volis, who suffered a sprained ankle, said Tcherniak went after her because she threatened to call 911 when he started beating a man at a nearby fruit stand.
"I see a big man, very heavy, beat him outside (the) store," she said. "I was in shock, and I said 'stop it.' I took my telephone and I said 'I call police.'"
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After Gugliara was stabbed, he shot and killed Tcherniak.
"He did what he was supposed to do because he would have been killed," Volis said.
About 100 fellow officers in their dress blues cheered as Gugliara was wheeled out of NYU Lutheran Medical Center on Friday afternoon.
Police said Gugliara's bullet-proof vest likely saved his life by deflecting the attacker's 11-inch blade, CBS2's Matt Kozar reported.
"I'm fine," he told reporters as he was wheeled out of the hospital.
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Gugliara's commanding officer, Captain Constantine Tsachas, said the 2-year veteran is a good cop.
"He does his job, he responds to the incidents, he helps out the public," Tsachas said. "He's brave, he doesn't avoid it. He knows the job he has to do and he's always there for us. He's excellent."
Gugliara left the hospital to go home with his father and two sisters.
A lawyer for the Tcherniak family said the 58-year-old always carried a knife clipped to his belt for protection. He said Tcherniak was a business man who carried lots of cash.
