In a sea of blue, NYC cops honor slain officer

An overflow crowd of police, family, friends and dignitaries jammed a Queens church Friday night to conclude a day-long tribute to officer Rafael Ramos. who was gunned down with his partner last week.

Ramos' flag-draped casket arrived in the afternoon amid a sea of blue, as fellow officers in crisp uniforms lined the streets outside and served as pallbearers.

Eight officers carried the casket inside as other cops saluted and stood at attention outside the entrance to Christ Tabernacle Church, where Ramos was a long-standing member.

By early evening, hundreds of additional mourners had filled the streets outside the church to pay their respects, hear speakers eulogize Ramos and watch the memorial on giant video screens. Joining Ramos' wife, Maritza, and two teenage sons, Justin and Jaden, were Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Police Commissioner William Bratton and Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

"What happened to my father was a tragedy but his death will not be in vain," said Justin Ramos, a student at Bowdoin College in Maine. "My dad was a hero. He touched so many lives and will continue to do so."

He said his father was his "rock" and his "absolute best friend."

Ramos' sister, Cindy, wept as she expressed her love for her brother.

"Even though I didn't say it as much as I should, I love you from the deepest depths of my soul," she said. "My brother, my heart aches so much right now, please pray for me as I know you always did. Help me understand why God took you from me so soon."

Earlier, 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.

The funeral will be held on Saturday morning, with Vice President Joe Biden scheduled to be in attendance, along with Mayor Bill de Blasio. The service is also expected to attract an estimated 25,000 officers from around the country.

Ramos and his partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, were shot and killed Dec. 20 after being ambushed by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who police have described as a disturbed loner, as they sat in their squad car.

Brinsley, who posted messages on social media about his intent to target police officers, later killed himself.

The gunman was angry about the deaths of Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y. and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the two unarmed black men whose killings by police have set off nationwide protests.

Friends and family said the 40-year-old Ramos, who was married with two sons, was a longstanding, deeply committed member of the Christ Tabernacle Church. He served as an usher and was part of the church's marriage and life group ministries.

The families of the two officers have received an outpouring of public support in the days since the assassination.

JetBlue airlines has offered free flights for police departments around the country who would like to attend the funeral for the two officers. An airline official told CNN that about 670 officers booked seats.

"We're honored to do what we can to support the communities we serve, and our team has made flights available to law enforcement agencies across our route network who wish to send representatives to New York to support their brethren," JetBlue said in a statement.

The airline has has also offered to arrange to fly in Liu's relatives from China.

Meanwhile, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation has begun to raise $800,000 they say is needed to pay off the mortgages of the slain officers. Frank Siller, the chairman of the foundation, said at press conference Friday that he'd like to complete the fundraising by the end of the year to give the families a sense of "peace and comfort."

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also announced Friday that he had contributed $20,000 to the fund and called on others to give.

"These [police officers] die for you," Giuliani said. "They die to keep you safe ... You owe them this money because they are keeping you safe."

The Silver Shield Foundation, a charity founded by the late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, has set aside $40,000 for the education of Ramos' sons. The older student attends Bowdoin College, and the school says it will cover his education costs as long as he remains a student there.

The incident has also drawn attention to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's strained relationship with the police union, which in the aftermath of the killings criticized the mayor for exacerbating public mistrust of the police.

On Friday, an airplane flew over the city displaying a banner that read, "De Blasio, our backs have turned to you." The message is a reference to police officers turning away from de Blasio when he arrived at the hospital after the officers were shot.

Activist John Cardillo, a former police officer, told the Associated Press that "hundreds" of retired and current officers paid to have the banner flown.

After Liu's and Ramos' killing, De Blasio called on activists in Ferguson and New York to put a pause on protests until after two officers were buried. That request has been ignored.

Since the killing of Ramos and Liu, police in New York say they've arrested six people accused of threatening officers. A seventh man was arrested Thursday on gun charges after a bystander overheard him making threats against police officers and talking about guns in his home.

The Rev. Al Sharpton , along with Garner's mother and widow, prayed for the families of the two slain officers at a Christmas dinner event. The Garner family observed a moment of silence and prayed while serving meals and handing out toys with Sharpton at the Harlem headquarters of his National Action Network.

Sharpton again condemned violence, saying anyone who doesn't "is just trying to create a climate for their own political relevance."

The site of the shooting on Brooklyn's Myrtle Avenue has been transformed into a shrine for the fallen men. Piles of bouquets, Christmas wreaths, teddy bears and candles mark the spot.

It has drawn fellow police officers, family, friends, ministers and ordinary New Yorkers for prayer and reflection.

On Christmas Day, a bus brought dozens of members of several organizations of Hispanic clergy to the site on Brooklyn's Myrtle Avenue, The New York Times reports.

"Peace on earth and good will toward men," the Rev. Gabriel Salguero, the president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, said. "We thought it was appropriate to be here."

Some of the group joined hands and prayed with police officers, The Times reports.

"It's not going to bring them back," said a tearful Detective Keith Knight, who was in one prayer circle."But it felt good."

Contributing: Michael Winter, USA TODAY; Associated Press