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Vigil Honors Couple Wounded in Pennsylvania Shooting

By Patrick Hedlund

DNAinfo News Editor

EAST VILLAGE — Dozens of friends of a longtime East Village couple critically wounded in a mass shooting in Pennsylvania over the weekend gathered in front of their East 10th Street home Tuesday for a vigil for their recovery.

Paul Shay, 64, and Monica Shay, 58, were among five people shot Saturday in their Bechtelsville, Pa., home by a gunman who was later killed by police.

The mass shooting claimed the lives of the couple's nephew, Joseph Shay, 43, and his 2-year-old Gregory Bosco. Joseph Shay's girlfriend Kathryn Erdmann, 37, Bosco's mother, was also injured in the shooting.

The Shays are still in critical condition at a Pennsylvania hospital, friends said, though Paul Shay is conscious and able to communicate through writing.

Monica Shay, director of the Pratt Institute's Arts and Cultural Management program, had an activist streak that saw her heavily-involved in causes against war and police brutality, among others, friends said.

"She went out of her way to stand up for folks who tend to be ostracized," said Monica Ruiz, 44, of Queens, who met Monica Shay while working events for the Answer Coalition.

Friends of the Shays said the couple played an instrumental role in helping advocate for the East Village's homeless and squatter population through the years, standing up for the poor community during an infamous riot at Tompkins Square Park in 1988.

Paul Shay, who owned a plumbing company, also helped teach maintenance skills to the squatters who reclaimed abandoned buildings in the neighborhood and turned them into fully functioning residences, friends said.

East Village activist John Penley remembered the Shays spending as much time in Tompkins Square Park as the homeless who were ultimately driven out of the park, leading to a clash with police that sparked the 1988 riot.

Friends at the vigil called Paul Shay a "peacemaker" with strong political leanings who passed along his technical expertise to the squatters, allowing them to hand-build their own homes out of the shells of crumbling buildings.

Monica Shay also extended that advocacy to her students, for whom she helped arrange scholarship money and jobs, her former students said.

"She's the source of my growth and personal development in New York," said Jako Borren, 39, of Inwood, who credited Monica with helping him get his current job. "She does a lot for her students outside of her obligations."

Monica Shay also befriended those who had lost their children at the hands of police, becoming an active member of the group Parents Against Police Brutality.

"She was the one who helped encourage me to fight injustices after what happened to my son," said Nicholas Heyward, 54, of Brooklyn, whose 13-year-old son was shot and killed by a police officer in 1994.

"I don't know what I'm going to do now, going to the meeting and not seeing her sitting at the table," added Juanita Young, of The Bronx, whose 23-year-son was shot and killed by police in 2000. "There was nothing — nothing — that woman wouldn't do."

Many touched on the irony of Paul and Monica Shay's victimization at the hands of a gun, given their staunch anti-violence agenda.

"She had a heart made of gold. That's why it hurts so bad," Young added. "[To be attacked in] such a vicious and violent way, it's hard to accept."

Others dismissed reports that the Shays were targeted due to Paul's involvement in an insurance scam with the alleged killer, who was reportedly seeking revenge for the way the deal ended.

"I don't believe it for a minute," Penley said. "He was way too smart for that."