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Funeral of slain New York City officer draws thousands

Hundreds of New York police officers gather in the street outside a church for the funeral of Officer Randolph Holder, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in New York. Holder was killed on Oct. 20 while responding to a report of shots fired and a bicycle stolen at gunpoint in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Hundreds of New York police officers gather in the street outside a church for the funeral of Officer Randolph Holder, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in New York. Holder was killed on Oct. 20 while responding to a report of shots fired and a bicycle stolen at gunpoint in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

By Associated Press 2 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Thousands of police officers packed rain-swept streets on Wednesday outside the funeral for a slain New York Police Department officer with deep law enforcement roots in his native Guyana.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton were among the hundreds of mourners inside a Queens church paying tribute to Officer Randolph Holder.

“All of New York City is in pain at this moment,” de Blasio said in his eulogy. “Our hearts and our prayers are with this good family.”

The mayor spoke of how Holder came to the United States 12 years ago with a dream of becoming a police officer – like his father and grandfather had in Guyana – and “make the world better.”

Holder, 33, “served as a peace officer in the truest sense of the word,” the mayor said. “He loved to be in the community. He loved to connect to the people around him.”