More than a hundred officers from the Philadelphia Police Department took a somber 90-mile bus ride Saturday morning to join their brothers in blue as they laid their colleague, NYPD Ofc. Rafael Ramos, to rest.
"We protect and serve, that's our jobs. We don't go to work to get killed," said Roosevelt Poplar, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, as about 110 members of Philly's police force boarded two buses outside Lodge 5 on Caroline Road in Northeast Philadelphia.
The officers were part of the thousands of people who attended Ramos' funeral at Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens.
The funeral, which began at 10 a.m., took place a week after Ismaaiyl Brinsley ambushed 40-year-old Ramos and his partner, 32-year-old Wenjian Liu, as they sat in a patrol car on a Brooklyn street.
Services have yet to be announced for Liu. They are being delayed until his relatives can make travel arrangements from China, the New York Times reported.
Philadelphia Police officers who attended Ramos' funeral told NBC10 it was unlike any they’ve ever seen.
“There were just so many thousands of people but you could hear a pin drop,” said Philadelphia Police Officer Bernard Turner. “I found that to be quite a rewarding and good sendoff. It was just a touching tribute to what we do as a nation to protect our citizens.”
At a wake for Ramos Friday, his son Justin told mourners he was "forever grateful for the sacrifices" his father made for their family.
"My father was a hero," Justin said.
The 8-hour wake drew thousands of uniformed police officers -- some standing on the street to watch the service on television screens.
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Described as a selfless and compassionate man, Ramos had hopes of becoming a chaplain.
"He had Bible study books in his locker, which is rare for a police officer," said NYPD Capt. Sergio Centa. "But that goes to show you the type of man he was."
During the funeral Saturday, some of the officers outside the church turned their backs as NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke. De Blasio also briefly attended the wake Friday, despite accusations from police union officials that he contributed to a climate of mistrust toward police.
The two officers' deaths escalated the already raised emotions of those participating in the tense national debate over police-involved deaths of unarmed black men.
Brinsley, who committed suicide shortly after the fatal shooting on Dec. 20, referenced both Michael Brown and Eric Garner in online posts ahead of the attack.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called for a temporary halt to demonstrations following the officers' deaths, but that did not stop a rally from taking place Thursday.
