Pubdate: Fri, 03 May 2002 Source: New York Daily News (NY) Copyright: 2002 Daily News, L.P. Contact: http://www.nydailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/295 Authors: Ralph R. Ortega and Dave Goldiner MAN SHOT TO DEATH BY FEDS NO DEALER, SAY KIN AND PALS Maryanne Dewgard knelt in a Brooklyn gutter yesterday and mourned the loss of her only son, a drug suspect who was shot in the back and killed by federal agents a day earlier. Wiping up dried drops of blood, the grieving mother led a chorus of relatives and friends who insisted Egbert (Bert Junior) Dewgard was an upstanding business owner who had nothing to do with drugs. "That's my son's blood, Lord have mercy," Maryanne Dewgard wailed on the Flatbush corner where her son died. "They shot him to kill him." Police painted a far different picture of Dewgard, who they say was shot when he tried to grab a federal agent's gun after a wild car chase. Cops called him a high-ranking member of a Flatbush drug crew, and said they found a package containing 3 kilos of cocaine -- with a street value of $250,000 -- underneath his car. An autopsy was delayed until today by the family's request, and an independent doctor will observe the procedure. Dewgard's sister denounced the drug allegations against her brother, branding them part of a police coverup. "Kingpins don't work in a print shop 16 hours a day," said Diahnn Dewgard, 32, whose parents emigrated from the Central American nation of Belize. "He was an upright guy, kind and generous." On the Flatbush block where Dewgard ran his B&A Printing copy shop, the slain man was remembered as a pillar of the community. Grocer Stella Maris recalled that Dewgard would provide free copies to other business owners, and cleared trash and snow from the sidewalk. Chinese restaurant owner Chan Choi said he knew Dewgard since he was a teenager, when Dewgard took over the store from his father. Choi, who speaks halting English, said Dewgard regularly helped him make calls for deliveries and read official letters. "I'm so upset they killed Bert Junior," said Choi, 42. "He didn't do drugs. No way. It's all lies." Jim Hall, a 41-year-old construction worker who lives in the neighborhood, said he often saw Dewgard working till midnight. "When you say drugs, I can't believe it," Hall said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth