Wake, funeral for slain NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu to be finalized Monday, says source
New York Police Officer Wenjian Liu was gunned down in a patrol car with Officer Rafael Ramos on Dec. 20, 2014 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, who targeted them because they were cops. He was 32. Credit: NYPD
The wake and funeral service for slain NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu have been scheduled for the upcoming weekend, according to an emailed flyer sent to officers by the city's police union Sunday.
But, according to an NYPD official knowledgeable about the funeral arrangements, the funeral plans for Liu will not be finalized until Monday at the earliest. Any announcements are subject to change, the source said.
A viewing is expected to be held Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m. at the Ralph Aievoli & Son Funeral home at 1275 65th St., Brooklyn, according to the flyer. A funeral home representative confirmed the details to Newsday Sunday night.
Liu's funeral would be scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday at the funeral parlor, according to the flyer.
An NYPD spokesman said Sunday night the department had not released information about Liu's funeral, and could not confirm any details. But a department source knowledgeable about the arrangements said the Liu family was still awaiting word from three nonsectarian cemeteries to see if a Sunday burial would be permitted.
If not, the wake would be Jan. 4 and the funeral Jan. 5, the source said.
Liu and Officer Rafael Ramos were gunned down Dec. 20 by a man who ambushed the two in their patrol car before taking his own life.
Memorial and funeral services for Ramos were held this weekend, with thousands of officers from departments across the country and Canada stretching out for blocks to pay their final respects.
Vice President Joe Biden spoke at Ramos' funeral, and later met with Liu's family at their Brooklyn home for nearly 30 minutes.
Officials have been working with Liu's family to ensure relatives from his native China could attend the services.
Liu, 32, who hailed from Guangzhou, China, came to New York nearly 20 years ago with his family. In September, he married Pei Xia Chen and looked forward to starting a family, his relatives had said in a previous statement.
"He was a dedicated public servant who committed his life to helping others, and we will deeply miss him," the family's statement added.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
