- Funeral for Officer Rafael Ramos is today, a week after he and Officer Wenjian Liu were killed
- More than 25,000 officers are expected at Christ Tabernacle Church for funeral
- Vice president, governor, mayor and police commissioner to be in attendance
- Ramos "was the best father I could ask for," son Jaden posts on Facebook
(CNN) -- A sea of blue flooded the streets around a Queens church Saturday morning -- thousands of police waiting to pay respects for one of two New York officers who lost their lives in the line of duty last weekend.
More than 25,000 police officers are expected at Christ Tabernacle Church in the Glendale neighborhood for the funeral of Rafael Ramos, the New York City police officer murdered one week ago.
A funeral service and procession for Ramos, 40, will start at 10 a.m. at the church, where he was a 14-year member. A police honor guard took his casket into the church.
Cops remembered as loving family members
People light candles during a vigil on Sunday, December 21, for two NYPD officers who were ambushed and killed on Saturday. The two NYPD officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, were shot while sitting in their police car. Police have named Ismaaiyl Brinsley as the shooter.
Lucy Ramos, aunt of slain police officer Rafael Ramos, speaks at a news conference in front of Ramos' childhood home on December 21.
A New York City police officer kneels on Sunday, December 21, in front of a small memorial for two police officers who were killed in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, center, speaks about the killings of the officers during a news conference at the National Action Network headquarters in New York on December 21. Behind him are, from left, Esaw Garner, widow of Eric Garner; attorney Michael Hardy; Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; and attorney Jonathan Moore.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, third from right, speaks on December 21 while Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, fourth from right, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, right, listen during a news conference at an impromptu memorial near the site where the officers were shot.
Mourners stand at attention as the bodies of two fallen NYPD officers are transported from Woodhull Medical Center on Saturday, December 20.
New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton speaks alongside Mayor Bill de Blasio, left, and NYPD's Chief of Department James O'Neill, right, during a news conference at Woodhull Medical Center on December 20.
Investigators work the scene where two NYPD officers were shot December 20, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
The officers were shot and killed ambush-style Saturday afternoon as they sat in their patrol car in Brooklyn, officials said.
The officers -- one with two years' experience, the other with seven years on the job -- were normally assigned to downtown Brooklyn but were working a "critical response" detail in an area with higher crime, police said.
The shooter was found dead in a nearby subway station from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. The shooter, identified as Ismaaiyl Brinsley, arrived in New York from Baltimore, police said.
The shooting occurred near Myrtle and Tompkins avenues in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.
Police officers gather near the scene of the shooting. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the attack "an unspeakable act of barbarism."
An officer with a police dog monitors the scene on the evening of December 20. Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Two NYPD officers fatally shot
Photos: Two NYPD officers fatally shot
What drove cop killer to act? Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor Bill De Blasio are among those in attendance.
Ramos -- known to those close to him as Ralph -- was gunned down December 20 along with fellow Officer Wenjian Liu as they sat parked in their patrol car in Brooklyn. The pair were assassinated, according to Bratton, simply because of the uniform they wore.
NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos saw streets as his ministry
The body of the gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, was found at a subway station shortly after the slayings. He had shot himself.
Ramos leaves a wife, Maritza, and sons Justin and Jaden, the latter of whom recounted how he had to say goodbye to his father in an emotional Facebook post.
"(H)e was the best father I could ask for," Jaden wrote after the shooting. "It's horrible that someone gets shot dead just for being a police officer. Everyone says they hate cops but they are the people that they call for help. I will always love you and I will never forget you. RIP Dad."
Justin, the older brother, spoke at his father's wake at the church Friday, according to CNN affiliate NY 1.
"My father was a man of character. He was a selfless man," the college sophomore said. "He always went above and beyond for his family, constantly putting everyone before himself. Dad, I'm forever grateful for the sacrifices you made to provide for me and Jaden."
Garner's daughter visits NYPD memorial Visitors pay respects to two slain police officers this week at a memorial in New York's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.
Charities offer help to families of slain officers
His pastor, the Rev. Rafael Castillo, said his death was a loss for the church.
"He was a man of great faith, and his faith informed his worldview, not just as a police officer, but as a husband and as a father," Castillo said. "And as I've been saying, we are going to miss him a great deal."
CNN's Camille Cava and Miguel Marquez contributed to this report.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNH7AiPMwowiQa8cugA4t1-gj0IWtw&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52778693622244&ei=-MWeVOCVGMuRgQfq5oCQCg&url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/27/us/nypd-officer-rafael-ramos-services/
0 comments:
Post a Comment