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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, center left, New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton, center right, and Rikki Klieman, Bratton's wife, second from right, arrive at the wake of NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu at Aievoli Funeral Home, Jan. 3, 2015, in Brooklyn.(Photo: John Minchillo, AP)
Mourners lined up early Saturday to pay their respects to a New York City police officer shot to death while sitting in a patrol car in Brooklyn last month.
Uniformed police officers from across the country joined family, friends and loved ones for the wake of officer Wenjian Liu at the Aievoli Funeral Home in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. The wake was scheduled to last until 9 p.m
NYPD Police Commissioner William Bratton arrived just before 1 p.m. and was joined by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The two drew salutes from some officers as they entered the funeral home together.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo also attended, saying his father, the former New York governor who died on New Year's Day, would have wanted him to be there.
On Sunday, Liu's funeral — also at Aievoli — will include a Chinese ceremony led by Buddhist monks followed by a traditional police ceremony with eulogies led by a chaplain. Burial will follow at Cypress Hills Cemetery. Liu's funeral arrangements were delayed so relatives from China could travel to New York.
Liu, 32, and his patrol partner, Rafael Ramos, 40, were ambushed on Dec. 20. Ramos' funeral last weekend drew more than 10,000 officers.
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The cops were targeted by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, who said in social media posts that he intended to kill police to avenge the deaths of two unarmed black men, Michael Brown of Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner of Staten Island, N.Y. Grand jury decisions not to indict the police officers involved in those two cases sparked nationwide protests.
Liu, 32, had served with the NYPD for 7½ years and was assigned to the 84th Precinct. He is survived by his wife of two months. At Ramos' funeral, Commissioner Bratton promoted both Ramos and Liu from patrolmen to the rank of detective first grade.
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The city closed streets around the Aievoli Funeral Home to accommodate mourners for wake, the city said on its 511NY.org website. The funeral home was set to broadcast the services on large outdoor screens for overflow crowds.
Luda Kaplan, 67, of Brooklyn, carried a handmade sign with a heart and "NYPD" on it as she stood across the street from the funeral home. She said her son-in-law was an NYPD officer for 20 years.
"When he left every morning at 4:30 a.m., we didn't know if he would come home," she said.
JetBlue, which offered free flights to New York for police officers around the USA who wanted to attend the funeral, committed to flying 1,146 officers to the services, spokesman Morgan Johnston said. The airline flew 845 officers to Ramos' funeral last weekend, he said.
About 20 officers from the Los Angeles Police Department traveled to Brooklyn to pay their respects to the fallen policeman.
"When it happens here, it happens to us," LAPD officer Hannu Tarjamo said. "It doesn't matter if it happens here, or in L.A., or in Louisiana. It's an act of savagery that should be condemned by society."
At last week's funeral for Ramos, hundreds of police officers turned their backs on Mayor de Blasio when he spoke. De Blasio is also scheduled to speak at Liu's funeral Sunday.
Police leaders said de Blasio showed disrespect for cops in statements he has made in support of nationwide protests against police brutality and racial profiling. In controversial comments, police officials have said de Blasio's remarks may have even encouraged violence against officers.
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Since Ramos and Liu were killed, police in New York have investigated at least 70 threats made against officers, and more than a dozen people have been arrested.
Commissioner Bratton said in a statement Friday that the act of officers turning their backs "stole the valor, honor, and attention that rightfully belonged to the memory of Detective Rafael Ramos's life and sacrifice."
"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," Bratton said. "A hero's funeral is about grieving, not grievance."
Contributing: The Associated Press
Police officers arrive at the Aievoli Funeral Home ahead of the viewing for police officer Wenjian Liu in Brooklyn on Jan. 3, 2015.(Photo: Kevin Hagen, Getty Images)
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