NEW YORK (AP) – Hundreds of officers stood in the shadows of blue ribbons tied to fences and trees as they waited Tuesday to pay tribute to a policeman slain on patrol – a man remembered for his love of family and pride in his job.
Officer Randolph Holder always wanted to be a policeman, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who served as officers in their native Guyana. Holder’s dream came true in 2010 when he joined the New York Police Department and began patrolling the city’s public housing complexes.
“It’s in his blood,” said his commanding officer, Captain Reymundo Mundo. “It’s in his genes.”
As a stream of officers wiped tears from their faces, many said they wanted to live by his example and not bury themselves in the loss, said Sgt. Joe Imperatrice.
“It’s never easy,” he said, recalling the funerals of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu last December. “But anything that goes on, you’re going to put on your vest, put on your uniform and do your job right.”