Det. Glenn Estrada shakes hands with slain Det. Peter Figoski’s father, Frank. (Chad Rachman)
NYPD Det. Peter Figoski (AP)
NYPD Det. Peter Figoski, who was fatally shot in December during a botched Brooklyn robbery was awarded posthumously today with the Medal of Honor, the Police Department’s highest award.
Figoski’s four daughters, Christine, Caitlyn, Caroline and Corrine – whom their dad loved so much that he insisted on working the more dangerous night shift so he could be home during the daytime – were in the audience outside Police Headquarters. The Figoski family went up with the slain detective’s father, Frank, who accepted the medal from Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
Two of the girls wept as their grandfather accepted the medal.
Figoski’s mother, Maryann, and his older brother, Robert, a retired cop, also attended the annual Medal Day ceremony.
Figoski’s partner, Det. Glenn Estrada, who had responded with him to the Cypress Hills home on Dec. 12, 2011 where suspects were hiding in a basement and tried to flee, was awarded a Medal for Valor. He chased after Figoski’s accused killer, Lamont Pride and nabbed him.
Figoski’s four daughters quietly cried as Estrada was awarded his medal. He went over to Figoski’s father and shook his hand before taking his seat.
Robert Figoski said after the ceremony that his brother was ” a great father, a great son” and a ”great person.”
He also praised Estrada, saying he ”did an amazing job that day.”
Asked about the outpouring of support from New Yorkers after his brother’s death, Robert Figoski said “It’s well appreciated. It means a lot to us.”
Police Office Alain Schaberger, who was shoved to his death from the stoop of a Brooklyn brownstone in March 2011 while responding to a domestic violence call, was also posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His mother, May, accepted the award.
A fund to ensure that Figoski’s daughters received a higher education was launched by the New York Post and the New York City Police Foundation — and reached $2,076.065 in donations in January.