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Brother Of ESB Shooting Victim Blasts Media For Showing Graphic Pics: "They Gave Osama bin Laden More Respect"
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 27, 2012
Modified Aug 27, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 27, 2012
Modified Aug 27, 2012
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The brother of Steven Ercolino, the 41-year-old man killed by a former colleague on West 33rd Street last week, called into Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton's show on WFAN this morning. Paul Ercolino criticized the "horrific journalism" of media outlets for showing gory photographs of his brother's dead body (Ercolino was shot in the head), "The … headlines and the pictures that were in the New York Post and the New York Times that my family had to see and endure, to see those pictures that were the most horrific pictures. They gave Osama bin Laden more respect and dignity than my brother, sprawled over the — with blood coming from him."
He continued, "So I would just make a plea to everyone who’s out there that are reading these stories: there’s a family behind, grieving and dying for one of their own right now. And we need all your support." His brother was killed by Jeffrey Johnson, 58, who apparently held a grudge from their workplace, Hazan Imports; Johnson, a designer, had been laid off, and Johnson blamed Ercolino, a VP of sales, for not generating enough business.
An obituary for Ercolino reads, "Steven was the apple of his mother's eye and his father's best friend. His love and devotion for his family was second to none. He lit up the room with his smile, and his personality was larger than life. He had a zest for life, and it came out in everything he did. He had a passion for NY sports; the Jets, Mets, Knicks and Rangers were his favorite teams." Paul Ercolino said, "We’re sports fans, we grew up sports fans. We use sports as a refuge, to get away from tragedy, never more than this. And I know if he was (here) this morning, he’d be calling me up screaming about how horrific the Jets are and how awful the Mets are."
A wake for Ercolino is being held today and tomorrow in White Plains, with burial planned for Wednesday. He lived in New Jersey, with his longtime girlfriend Ivette Rivera (his obituary describes her as his "soul mate"). Her brother told the Post, "She’s bed-bound. She doesn’t want to get up. She doesn’t want to eat. They were supposed to get married very soon. It’s just devastating right now for her and all of us."
Tagged
empire state building shooting
fatal shooting
gun violence
jeffrey johnson
midtown shooting
Osama bin Laden
steve ercolino
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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