Funeral set for 2nd NYPD officer killed in ambush

December 29, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Police officers salute as the hearse of New York city police officer Rafael Ramos drives along his funeral procession route in the Glendale section of Queens on Saturday. Ramos and his partner, officer Wenjian Liu, were killed Dec. 20 as they sat in their patrol car on a Brooklyn street. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, later killed himself. AP Photo/John Minchillo

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Two days after an emotionally heart-wrenching funeral for slain Officer Rafael Ramos took place, plans for the funeral of his partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, were announced.

A wake for Officer Liu, 32, will take place on Saturday, Jan. 3, at Ralph Aievoli Funeral Home (1275 65th St. in Dyker Heights), from 1 to 9 p.m., according to the funeral home, which announced the plans on Monday.

A funeral is set for Sunday, Jan. 4, also at the funeral home, at 10 a.m.

Liu, a seven-year veteran of the New York Police Department (NYPD), lived in Gravesend.

On Dec. 27, Officer Ramos, 40, was laid to rest following a funeral service at Christ Tabernacle Church in Glendale, Queens, attended by Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Police Commissioner William Bratton announced at the service that Ramos and Liu would be posthumously promoted to the rank of detective first grade. Ramos had been on the police force for two years.

Twenty-five thousand cops from the NYPD and from police departments around the country lined the streets outside the church while the service was taking place. Thousands of everyday New Yorkers also lined the streets in a sign of respect for Ramos.

The funeral service could be seen on the street outside the church. It was shown on a giant screen set up outside the building.

The funeral was not without controversy, however, as many of the uniformed officers standing on the street turned their backs on de Blasio when the mayor began to speak inside the church. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA), the union representing cops, had been highly critical of the mayor’s statements following the decision by a Staten Island grand jury earlier this month not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner during an arrest in July. The PBA saw de Blasio’s statements as being anti-cop.

Ramos, who leaves behind a wife and two sons, was buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Liu was married just two months ago.

The two cops were ambushed and shot to death while sitting in their patrol car on a Bedford-Stuyvesant street on Dec. 20. The gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, fled to a nearby subway station and shot himself to death.

In an effort to help the grieving Ramos and Liu families, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced on Dec. 26 that it had started a campaign to raise $800,000 to pay off the mortgages of the officers’ homes.

Cuomo and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani encouraged New Yorkers to donate to the fund. At a press conference the foundation held at its Staten Island headquarters on Dec. 26, Giuliani, who is a member of the board of the foundation, announced that he would donate $20,000.

On Dec. 29, the foundation announced on its Facebook page that it had already raised one-third of the money needed. “We are thrilled that within such a brief period of time we are already one-third of the way towards our goal of raising the $800,000 needed for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to buy the Liu and Ramos homes outright and present the houses to their grief-stricken families,” the announcement read.

A Liu family spokesman issued a statement of thanks.

“On behalf of the Liu family, we would like the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and also Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former mayor Giuliani and everyone who has showed their support during this difficult time,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, de Blasio said Monday that the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City has raised $120,000 to support the officers’ families.

De Blasio said the money has been raised in pledges through the Fallen Heroes Relief Effort.

The relief effort was established in honor of Liu and Ramos. Companies including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Verizon, and AT&T have contributed.

De Blasio urged all New Yorkers to support the officers’ families.

For information on how to donate, visit www.tunnel2towers.org.

-Additional information from The Associated Press