Officer Alain Schaberger (DCPI)
Two officers share a hug at the scene. (Theodore Parisienne)
A veteran Brooklyn cop was killed this morning when he was shoved off a porch and landed on his head — breaking his neck — while trying to handcuff a career thug with a history of domestic violence.
Officer Alain Schaberger, 42, had responded to a 4:22 a.m. call for help from a frantic 48-year-old woman at 334 Bergen St. in Boerum Hill.
“He said he’s going to kill me, he said he’s across the street and he is going to kill me,” the panicked woman said in the call.
A second call followed five minutes later from a security guard at the building.
By the time police arrived, suspect George Villanueva, 40, a lowlife thief and bully from Brooklyn with 28 priors, had fled to an apartment building at 45 St. Mark’s Place, where his father lives.
Cops took the woman, who has an order of protection against Villanueva, to that address to identify the suspect.
The father initially told them his son was not there, but finally admitted he was in another room, “sleeping.”
Cops went to the room, nabbed Villanueva and escorted him to the front stoop, where they attempted to handcuff him after the woman fingered him as the suspect, police said.
But Villanueva, 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, began struggling after one arm was cuffed, and shoved the 5-foot-8, 180 pound Schaberger over an 18-inch railing.
The 10-year veteran fell about nine feet and landed on his head, police said.
While other officers twice tasered Villanueva, the gravely injured Schaberger who still had a pulse, was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:59 a.m.
Villanueva was later charged with first-degree murder, aggravated murder of a police officer, criminal contempt of court and assault. He faces life in prison without parole if convicted.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with the victim’s father Paul and unidentified girlfriend at the hospital.
“He and his family made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our city safe,” Bloomberg said.
At noon, NYPD officers lined up in front of Lutheran‘s level one trauma center to pay their last respects to their fallen comrade.
As hospital workers peered out the windows, heads in their hands, medics loaded his body into a waiting ambulance.
The ambulance drove out of the garage, flanked on both sides by his fellow officers.
All saluted; some cried, while others stared straight ahead, stone faced, as the ambulance turned down Second Avenue and disappeared down the street, lights flashing.
Villanueva was arrested Feb. 4 on a domestic violence charge involving the same woman, and 84th precinct cops have responded to 12 times domestic violence calls involving the couple.
Villanueva’s 28 priors are mostly for robbery and burglary.
Scharberger served five years in the U.S. Navy, from 1991-95, was single and had a girlfriend.
Tonight, as Villanueva was led from the 88th Precinct for his arraignment downtown, he pulled his dark hoodie over his head and yelled to his brother, Daniel, who was standing outside, “I need your number!”
Daniel Villanueva later said of the fatal incident: “Look, it was a bad situation.
“A family member that was there told me it wasn’t his fault,” the brother said. “It became like a tug of war. There’s more to the story than the cops are saying. But we do send our condolences to the officer’s family.’’
Additional reporting by C.J. Sullivan