Families of fallen NYPD officers pay visit to Brooklyn memorial site

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A steady stream of mourners continue to pay tribute at the memorial to 2 NYPD officers killed in the line of duty in Brooklyn.

Among the visitors on Christmas Eve were family members of the officers.

It was enough to leave you speechless: a sea of candles, flowers, and Christmas wreaths, on a night that's supposed to be filled with joy.

Drew Smith drove there with his daughter Sofia so she could see for herself, the spot where Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos so violently lost their lives.

"People were exchanging gifts and presents, it was something I just had to do. I grabbed her and told her mom, didn't tell them where we was going, just jumped in the car," said Smith. "Just something I wanted to share with her.

"All those families that don't have their family relatives, and they can't enjoy their Christmas, they can't be together," said Sofia.

On Wednesday the Liu family made their own pilgrimage to this now holy place, as they lit candles and wailed. Officers honored them with a crisp salute.

"It's a great loss. These are heroes. And it hurts. It hurts at every level," said one officer. The Ramos family also paid a visit Wednesday night.

And now, fears of still more attacks on police. Heavily armed emergency services officers now standing guard at the 81st and 79th precinct station houses after the NYPD received as many as 40 threats of additional violence.

"When people are in trouble they call cops. When cops are in trouble they call emergency services," said former NYPD detective Nicholas Casale.

And back at the shrine to Officers Liu and Ramos, their brothers from the 84 made their own visit Wednesday night.

As did Stephanie Hill, the chief of a small police department in Tennessee. In New York on vacation, she took a yellow cab to Bed-Stuy, so she could be there too.

"This is actually our last night here and we wanted to make sure that we came out in honor of my guys and in memory of the two fallen officers," said Hill.

Meanwhile, the New York City Police Department has announced street closures related to the viewing and funeral service for Officer Rafael Ramos.

Street closures and parking restrictions are expected to cause traffic delays. The use of public transportation is highly recommended.

A wake for Ramos will be held Friday, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Christ Tabernacle Church on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the same location before interment at Cypress Hills Cemetery.

On Friday, December 26, beginning at noon and lasting until 10 p.m., Myrtle Avenue between Fresh Pond Road and Cooper Avenue will be closed, and there will be no parking.

Additionally, there will be no parking on Central Avenue between Myrtle Avenue and 73rd Place and Otto Road between Cypress Hills Street and 69th Place.

On Saturday, December 27, beginning at 7 a.m. and lasting until 1 p.m., Myrtle Avenue between Fresh Pond Road and Cooper Avenue, 67th Street between Myrtle Avenue and Cooper Avenue, and 67th Place between Myrtle Avenue and Cooper Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic.

There will be no parking, and pedestrian traffic will be limited.

Additionally, there will be no parking on Central Avenue between Myrtle Avenue and 73rd Place, Otto Road between Cypress Hills Street and 69th Place, and Metropolitan Avenue between Fresh Pond Road and 73rd Place.

Meanwhile, JetBlue has announced it will offer free flights to law enforcement agencies wanting to send representatives to attend the funeral.