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New York mayor attends wake of officer killed in ambush

From left, Pastor Michael Durso, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City first lady Chirlane McCray visit a makeshift memorial on Dec. 23, 2014, near the site where New York Police Department officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot and killed in the Brooklyn borough of New York.
From left, Pastor Michael Durso, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City first lady Chirlane McCray visit a makeshift memorial on Dec. 23, 2014, near the site where New York Police Department officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot and killed in the Brooklyn borough of New York. From left, Pastor Michael Durso, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City first lady Chirlane McCray visit a makeshift memorial on Dec. 23, 2014, near the site where New York Police Department officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot and killed in the Brooklyn borough of New York.

By Associated Press 3 min read

NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Bill de Blasio, heavily criticized by police for his handling of protests critical of them, on Friday attended the wake of an officer shot to death with his partner in a brazen daytime ambush.

Hundreds of police officers, politicians and community members attended the daylong remembrance for Officer Rafael Ramos at the Christ Tabernacle Church.

Ramos, a 40-year-old married father of two sons, was studying to be a pastor. His body was carried into the church in a flag-draped casket and was displayed in full dress uniform.

Pastor Ralph Castillo said Ramos was a beloved member of the church.

“Whether he was helping a mom with a carriage or bringing someone to their seats, he did it with so much love and so much vigor and so much joy,” Castillo said.