Quantcast
Thousands pay final respects to slain NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia – Metro US
New York

Thousands pay final respects to slain NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia

Nikki M. Mascali Posted on

Update, 3:07 p.m.: Slain NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia was not only remembered by her family, both in blood and in blue, and thousands of other mourners at her funeral, she was also posthumously promoted to detective.

“This amazing woman, this mother, this daughter, this sister, this friend, this New York City police officer was assassinated solely because of what she represented and for the responsibility she embraced,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said during the mass at World Changers Church in the Bronx, just about two blocks from where the officer was killed last week. “All her killer could see was a uniform, although Miosotis was so much more.”

Familia was a mother to three: 20-year-old Genesis Villella, and 12-year-old twins Peter and Delilah. To them, O’Neill said that “your mom didn’t die in vain. Your mom’s legacy will never fade from importance in memory. Your mom made it her mission to make your home, New York City, a better and safer place for everyone. And I vow to you we will continue to find our way forward in her honor because that’s what cops do.”

Villella said that Tuesday’s service took place 12 years to the day that her mother joined the NYPD. “When I was a little kid, I was just so proud and so excited my mom was a cop. I still am so proud of her,” she said. 

Mayor Bill de Blasio said that Familia was a hero “in her service to this city, in her love for her family and all she did for everyone she came across in life” and that she “died a patriot defending all of us.

“My friends, Police Officer Miosotis Familia did not die in vain,” de Blasio concluded. “She made sure to teach the next generation well, and she showed all of us the right way. Now it is up to us to live it.”

Familia was fatally shot in the head as she sat in a mobile command unit in the Fordham Heights neighborhood of the Bronx in the early morning hours of July 5.

Alexander Bonds, the 34-year-old gunman, was shot and killed after he pulled a revolver on officers in pursuit as he fled the scene.

His girlfriend later said that Bonds had paranoid schizophrenia and was “acting erratically and that he was paranoid by police” prior to the shooting last Wednesday, to the point where she called 911 just hours before.

Familia’s sister, Mercedes Proefrock, urged those in attendance to “show love. This has to stop. Please, if you see a police officer in blue, hug them and say thank you. That’s all she would have asked for.”

CBS2 reported that about 25,000 police officers from all over the United States and the world flocked to the Bronx for Familia’s funeral.

“To Genny, Peter, and Delilah, here we are today literally surrounded by a sea of blue as far as the eye can see outside this building, and know this — our family will always be with yours,” O’Neill said at the conclusion of his remarks. “We don’t ever forget, we will always be here for you in this city.

“And to all the members of the NYPD, do not ever forget why you chose to become a police officer. Be proud of who you are and what you do,” he continued. “Always remember that Miosotis lived to protect all New Yorkers, and her legacy protects us still. We pray that she now finds rest, and her beloved family finds solace and peace. And the strength to live the lives their mother fought to give them.”

City Hall will be lit in blue at sundown to honor Familia, the mayor’s office announced via Twitter.

Original story, July 11, 9:44 a.m.: Thousands are expected to be in attendance as slain NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia is laid to rest Tuesday morning in the Bronx.

Familia died after being shot in the head as she sat in a mobile command unit in the Bronx last Wednesday. Her funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. at the World Changers Church at 2417 Grand Concourse in the Bronx.

The 12-year veteran of the NYPD, who worked out of the 46th Precinct, is survived by her 20-year-old daughter and 12-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and her 86-year-old mother, NBC4 reported.

A wake was held for Familia at the World Changers Church Monday, and was attended by her fellow officers, including Commissioner James O’Neill, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In a tweet ahead of Tuesday’s service, O’Neill wrote that Familia was “an amazing mom, daughter, sister & NYPD cop assassinated solely for the responsibility she embraced.”

Familia was shot once by Alexander Bonds as she sat in the mobile unit in the Fordham Heights neighborhood of the Bronx just after midnight last Wednesday. Bonds, 34, was shot and killed after pulling a revolver on pursuing officers as he fled on foot after the shooting. Bonds, whose girlfriend said he had paranoid schizophrenia, was on parole after serving seven years at an upstate prison for a robbery conviction.  

Familia is the first female officer to be shot and killed on-duty since 1984, NBC4 reported.

To watch a live stream of her funeral service, which begins at 10 a.m., click here.
 

About the Author

Jobs in New York

Add your job

View all jobs…

Sports

News

Related Articles

More from our Sister Sites