They were gunned down exactly a year ago while chasing a man on a shooting rampage on Sullivan Street.
The 32-year-old suspect, David Garvin, was trying to get away after killing a man inside a pizzeria. Garvin was shot and killed by police.
The two officers died on Sullivan Street, shot execution-style after confronting and then chasing Garvin.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said their heroic efforts likely prevented even more bloodshed in the Village.
The NYPD released surveillance video last year that showed Garvin chasing the young volunteers across the street to shoot them in cold blood.
Kelly described the scene:
"We see the perpetrator running north on the west side of the street, he crosses over to the east side, we see officer Pekearo ducking behind the car, he's right on top of him, and he's firing, firing right on top of him. Now you see officer Marshalik running east to west, he's ducking behind a car, Garvin is right on top of him."
Minutes later, Garvin was shot dead by police officers.
But it was the two young men, unarmed volunteers, who confronted the shooter and convinced him to drop his bag that contained a second gun and more than 100 rounds of ammunition.
"It looks like he was going to do a lot more damage," Kelly said.
Already, Garvin had left a bloody trail. He had walked into DeMarco's Pizzeria that evening and, without warning, opened fire on 35-year-old bartender Alfredo Romero.
As Garvin ran out of the restaurant and onto the crowded streets, auxiliary officers Pekearo and Marshalik heard the call for help and ran.
Police say Garvin had been asked to leave that restaurant on several occasions. Family members tell the NYPD that he had grown increasingly paranoid that people were out to get him.