NEW YORK (WCBS/CNN) - A wake was held on Monday for NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia. She was shot and killed last week in the Bronx.
A somber salute as the body of the murdered officer arrived at the church. Fellow officers stood at attention while her flag-draped casket was carried inside. And on the outside, blue ribbons hang on trees up and down the Grand Concourse as the Bronx and the city prepares to say goodbye.
"It's so sad getting killed like that trying to protect the neighborhood and then getting murdered. It's very sad. It broke my heart because she has three babies,” said Suzan Jones, a Bronx resident.
Fresh from a weekend trip to Germany, Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the grieving family. She leaves behind 12-year-old twins and a 20-year-old daughter. On Monday, in the New York Post, the officer's daughter spoke about her mom giving her a quick kiss and hug before leaving for what ended up being her final shift. "I asked her if I could have another hug, and she walked back over and hugged me really hard, and we both told each other that we loved each other,” her daughter said.
That was last Tuesday night. Early Wednesday morning, as Familia was sitting in an NYPD mobile command unit in Fordham, police say gunman Alexander Bonds approached and assassinated her, shooting through the window.
Over the weekend, Familia's sister spoke at a crowded vigil outside the 46th Precinct where she worked. “She was an exceptional person, and I know she's up with God looking at us, seeing all of you, all the support she’s gotten from everybody,” she said.
That support will be visible over the next two days. Thousands are expected at World Changers Church for her wake on Monday, and funeral Tuesday.
It is all a reminder of the dangers for those who wear the uniform. "Every time I see a policeman I say thank you to those guys," said Francisco Puello, a Bronx resident.
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