On a cold December day in 1978, a dedicated 49-year-old male New York City Police Officer named David Guttenberg was going about his duties in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. It was December 28th, just a few days after Christmas, and Officer Guttenberg was on patrol. He noticed a double-parked car and, in a simple act of holiday kindness, decided to find the owner to avoid issuing a ticket. This decision would tragically be his last.
He entered a nearby auto parts store, unaware that a robbery was in progress inside.
Upon entering the Dyker Auto Supply Shop, Officer Guttenberg was immediately confronted by the armed robber, who shot him three times in the chest and heart. While the gunman and his lookout fled the scene, Officer Guttenberg was rushed to the nearby Victory Memorial Hospital. Despite the efforts to save him, the 18-year veteran of the police force succumbed to his injuries, passing away in the arms of his wife, Barbara. The sudden and violent end to his life left his wife and four children devastated.
The investigation into Officer Guttenberg's murder led to the apprehension of two suspects: Luis Angel Torres, the gunman, and his lookout, Pablo 'Paul' Costello. Both men were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Torres would later die in confinement in 1996. Costello, after serving several decades, was granted parole in July of 2014 and was fully released from parole supervision in July 2017. The death of Officer Guttenberg was a profound loss to his family and the community he served, a sacrifice that was honored nearly four decades later when a corner in Bay Ridge was co-named 'Patrolman David Guttenberg Way'. His death also became a catalyst for change, as his widow, Barbara, became a staunch advocate for providing police officers with bulletproof vests, a measure that would go on to save countless lives.
