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| Mourners gather for funeral of second NYPD officer killed in surprise attack | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Police, public officials and mourners from across the country gathered Sunday morning at the Aievoli Funeral Home in Brooklyn to pay tribute to Detective Wenjian Liu, who was killed alongside his partner last month in an act of violence that has roiled New York City. | Police, public officials and mourners from across the country gathered Sunday morning at the Aievoli Funeral Home in Brooklyn to pay tribute to Detective Wenjian Liu, who was killed alongside his partner last month in an act of violence that has roiled New York City. |
| In the cool, damp air, waves of blue uniforms of varying shades walked down 65th Street toward the funeral home, passing groups of solemn-looking supporters holding signs and snapping photos from the sidewalk. A black stripe could be seen over many badge numbers, a striking sign of the law enforcement community’s collective grief. | In the cool, damp air, waves of blue uniforms of varying shades walked down 65th Street toward the funeral home, passing groups of solemn-looking supporters holding signs and snapping photos from the sidewalk. A black stripe could be seen over many badge numbers, a striking sign of the law enforcement community’s collective grief. |
| In a strident display of protest, large numbers of those officers turned their back on Mayor Bill de Blasio as he took the podium to eulogize the slain detective, reinforcing entrenched feelings of hostility that have gripped the department in the weeks since Liu and Detective Rafael Ramos were fatally shot without warning on a Brooklyn street. In highly controversial remarks, union leaders have criticized the mayor for expressing support for demonstrations against police brutality and accused him of fostering an environment that encourages attacks on police officers. | |
| Officers turn their backs on Mayor. Top pic taken just before DeBlasio spoke; bottom pic during his speech pic.twitter.com/o4T0u1lGcE — Kristin Thorne (@KristinThorne) January 4, 2015 | |
| Officers turn their backs on Mayor. Top pic taken just before DeBlasio spoke; bottom pic during his speech pic.twitter.com/o4T0u1lGcE | |
| — Kristin Thorne (@KristinThorne) January 4, 2015 | |
| In a memo read at roll calls Friday and Saturday, Police Commissioner William Bratton urged officers to avoid making political statements during Liu’s funeral. | |
| “A hero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance,” the memo said. “I issue no mandates, and I make no threats of discipline, but I remind you that when you don the uniform of this department, you are bound by the tradition, honor and decency that go with it.” | |
| On Saturday, De Blasio and Bratton were saluted by officers as they arrived at Liu’s wake. The show of respect was a markedly different reception than the one the mayor received a week earlier, when some officers turned their backs on him in protest while he spoke at Ramos’s funeral. Today, de Blasio was received a respectful reception among police officials inside the funeral home, but the reaction outside was mixed, according to the Associated Press. | |
| The mayor called Liu a “brave and skilled detective” but pointed out that so many of his friends and colleagues will remember him for his kindness. De Blasio recounted in detail a story about Liu responding to a call for an aging Vietnam veteran who had fallen and needed help getting up. Instead of leaving the man, de Blasio said, Liu spent hours talking to the veteran before helping the man to bed and wrapping him in blankets. | |
| “Detective Liu was the sort of officer who when he saw someone on the street lost, he’d go over to them to ask them if they were hungry,” the mayor said. “He’d literally go over to them and buy them dinner at McDonald’s and give them a ride home.” | |
| Bratton spoke next, | |
| Many officers, including Ryan Andersen, 39, of Berkeley, Calif., arrived from departments across the country to pledge their support for Liu and the NYPD. | Many officers, including Ryan Andersen, 39, of Berkeley, Calif., arrived from departments across the country to pledge their support for Liu and the NYPD. |
| “This isn’t the type of killing that we can accept,” Andersen said. “We understand it’s part of the job. But to have an officer killed sitting there in their car and talking to his partner, that’s difficult to accept.” | “This isn’t the type of killing that we can accept,” Andersen said. “We understand it’s part of the job. But to have an officer killed sitting there in their car and talking to his partner, that’s difficult to accept.” |
| “We felt it was important for us to be here for the officers of the NYPD and the city to show our support,” he added. | “We felt it was important for us to be here for the officers of the NYPD and the city to show our support,” he added. |
| A solemn day as we lay to rest NYPD Detective Liu, one of the Finest. We will never forget his sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/R4kByKZP5X — Commissioner Bratton (@CommissBratton) January 4, 2015 | A solemn day as we lay to rest NYPD Detective Liu, one of the Finest. We will never forget his sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/R4kByKZP5X — Commissioner Bratton (@CommissBratton) January 4, 2015 |
| A solemn day as we lay to rest NYPD Detective Liu, one of the Finest. We will never forget his sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/R4kByKZP5X | A solemn day as we lay to rest NYPD Detective Liu, one of the Finest. We will never forget his sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/R4kByKZP5X |
| — Commissioner Bratton (@CommissBratton) January 4, 2015 | — Commissioner Bratton (@CommissBratton) January 4, 2015 |
| A sea of blue outside the funeral for #NYPD Det. Wenjian Liu. pic.twitter.com/x3ljIu1pMC — Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) January 4, 2015 | A sea of blue outside the funeral for #NYPD Det. Wenjian Liu. pic.twitter.com/x3ljIu1pMC — Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) January 4, 2015 |
| A sea of blue outside the funeral for #NYPD Det. Wenjian Liu. pic.twitter.com/x3ljIu1pMC | A sea of blue outside the funeral for #NYPD Det. Wenjian Liu. pic.twitter.com/x3ljIu1pMC |
| — Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) January 4, 2015 | — Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) January 4, 2015 |
| A #SeaofBlue preparing to pay their final respects to Det Wen Jian Liu. May he rest in eternal peace https://t.co/F84Z8GJsse — NYPD 110th Precinct (@NYPD110Pct) January 4, 2015 | A #SeaofBlue preparing to pay their final respects to Det Wen Jian Liu. May he rest in eternal peace https://t.co/F84Z8GJsse — NYPD 110th Precinct (@NYPD110Pct) January 4, 2015 |
| A #SeaofBlue preparing to pay their final respects to Det Wen Jian Liu. May he rest in eternal peace https://t.co/F84Z8GJsse | A #SeaofBlue preparing to pay their final respects to Det Wen Jian Liu. May he rest in eternal peace https://t.co/F84Z8GJsse |
| — NYPD 110th Precinct (@NYPD110Pct) January 4, 2015 | — NYPD 110th Precinct (@NYPD110Pct) January 4, 2015 |
| It is the second straight day of mourning for the 32-year-old officer. At Liu’s wake Saturday, more than 1,000 officers from across the country descended upon the funeral home, braving wet weather and cold temperatures in lines that stretched for blocks and lasted for hours, according to news reports. | It is the second straight day of mourning for the 32-year-old officer. At Liu’s wake Saturday, more than 1,000 officers from across the country descended upon the funeral home, braving wet weather and cold temperatures in lines that stretched for blocks and lasted for hours, according to news reports. |
| About 100 officers from the 84th Pct. arrive in Bensonhurst ahead of funeral for NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu. pic.twitter.com/hS1QffyUKM — Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) January 3, 2015 | About 100 officers from the 84th Pct. arrive in Bensonhurst ahead of funeral for NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu. pic.twitter.com/hS1QffyUKM — Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) January 3, 2015 |
| About 100 officers from the 84th Pct. arrive in Bensonhurst ahead of funeral for NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu. pic.twitter.com/hS1QffyUKM | About 100 officers from the 84th Pct. arrive in Bensonhurst ahead of funeral for NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu. pic.twitter.com/hS1QffyUKM |
| — Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) January 3, 2015 | — Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) January 3, 2015 |
| Officers from across the country line up for NYPD Detective Wenjian Liu's wake. http://t.co/JBvWDKlykS pic.twitter.com/igHu2egufn — PIX11 News (@PIX11News) January 3, 2015 | Officers from across the country line up for NYPD Detective Wenjian Liu's wake. http://t.co/JBvWDKlykS pic.twitter.com/igHu2egufn — PIX11 News (@PIX11News) January 3, 2015 |
| Officers from across the country line up for NYPD Detective Wenjian Liu's wake. http://t.co/JBvWDKlykS pic.twitter.com/igHu2egufn | Officers from across the country line up for NYPD Detective Wenjian Liu's wake. http://t.co/JBvWDKlykS pic.twitter.com/igHu2egufn |
| — PIX11 News (@PIX11News) January 3, 2015 | — PIX11 News (@PIX11News) January 3, 2015 |
| Among the attendees was Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who attended the wake two days after the death of his father — former New York governor Mario Cuomo. | Among the attendees was Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who attended the wake two days after the death of his father — former New York governor Mario Cuomo. |
| “This is really a tragic story,” Cuomo (D) said, referring to Liu’s killing, according to NBC New York. | “This is really a tragic story,” Cuomo (D) said, referring to Liu’s killing, according to NBC New York. |
| “She’s now a widow,” he said, in a reference to the detective’s wife. “This is really pointless. They did nothing wrong. It wasn’t about them. It was pure and random hatred.” | “She’s now a widow,” he said, in a reference to the detective’s wife. “This is really pointless. They did nothing wrong. It wasn’t about them. It was pure and random hatred.” |
| Liu, a seven-year veteran of the police force, was in a patrol car with his partner, Rafael Ramos, in Bedford-Stuyvesant when they were shot. The gunman — 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, an emotionally disturbed man with a long history of violence — had vowed to kill police as revenge for recent killings of unarmed black men by white police officers in Missouri and New York. | Liu, a seven-year veteran of the police force, was in a patrol car with his partner, Rafael Ramos, in Bedford-Stuyvesant when they were shot. The gunman — 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, an emotionally disturbed man with a long history of violence — had vowed to kill police as revenge for recent killings of unarmed black men by white police officers in Missouri and New York. |
| Liu, who recently married, moved to New York from China with his family in 1994. He is thought to be the first Chinese American officer killed in the line of duty in New York. Ramos, a 40-year-old husband and father, was entering his second year as an officer and planned to become a chaplain. Both men were posthumously promoted to detective first grade. | Liu, who recently married, moved to New York from China with his family in 1994. He is thought to be the first Chinese American officer killed in the line of duty in New York. Ramos, a 40-year-old husband and father, was entering his second year as an officer and planned to become a chaplain. Both men were posthumously promoted to detective first grade. |
| RELATED: Friends and relatives say slain officers fulfilled their dreams of becoming cops and were just getting started | RELATED: Friends and relatives say slain officers fulfilled their dreams of becoming cops and were just getting started |
| The funeral began at 11 a.m. Eastern time and included a Chinese ceremony led by Buddhist monks, as well as a traditional police funeral led by a chaplain, according to the Associated Press. | |
| Funeral arrangements were postponed so members of Liu’s family in China could acquire the necessary documentation to make the overseas trip, according to the New York Times. | Funeral arrangements were postponed so members of Liu’s family in China could acquire the necessary documentation to make the overseas trip, according to the New York Times. |
| Relatives weep at slain NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu's wake – New York Daily News http://t.co/hL9RpJSFE7 pic.twitter.com/0D3avLBkpP — Doyle Industries (@DoyleGlobal) January 4, 2015 | Relatives weep at slain NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu's wake – New York Daily News http://t.co/hL9RpJSFE7 pic.twitter.com/0D3avLBkpP — Doyle Industries (@DoyleGlobal) January 4, 2015 |
| Relatives weep at slain NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu's wake – New York Daily News http://t.co/hL9RpJSFE7 pic.twitter.com/0D3avLBkpP | Relatives weep at slain NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu's wake – New York Daily News http://t.co/hL9RpJSFE7 pic.twitter.com/0D3avLBkpP |
| — Doyle Industries (@DoyleGlobal) January 4, 2015 | — Doyle Industries (@DoyleGlobal) January 4, 2015 |
| Morgan Johnston, a spokesman for JetBlue, said the airline flew 1,146 officers to New York for Liu’s funeral. Johnston said JetBlue worked with a partner airline to bring Liu’s family from China. | |
| FBI Director James B. Comey attended the funeral at the behest of President Obama. Vice President Biden attended Ramos’s funeral Dec. 27. | |
| At the wake, Liu’s uniformed body was laid out in an open casket, with his NYPD badge and hat, according to the New York Daily News. Nearby, the paper reported, amid candles and burning incense, a white banner offered a message in Chinese: “His bravery is still with us.” | At the wake, Liu’s uniformed body was laid out in an open casket, with his NYPD badge and hat, according to the New York Daily News. Nearby, the paper reported, amid candles and burning incense, a white banner offered a message in Chinese: “His bravery is still with us.” |
| Kia Gregory in New York contributed to this report. | Kia Gregory in New York contributed to this report. |