Brooklyn school renamed in honor of slain NYPD Detective Wenjian Liu
DYKER HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A school in Brooklyn was renamed in honor of an NYPD detective who was shot and killed in the line of duty nearly a decade later.
P.S. 331 in Dyker Heights is now named the Detective Wenjian Liu School of Civics and Entrepreneurship.
Detective Liu was killed alongside his partner Detective Rafael Ramos on December 20, 2014.
Detective Liu's widow Sanny Liu, as well as his daughter, Angelina, who was born in 2017 after her father's murder, attended Thursday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 6-year-old never got to meet her father.
"I would tell her, her father was a real American hero, he sacrificed his life for protecting his community," Liu said.
Angelina's mom had only been married for three months when her world was shattered in 2014.
The school is the first in Brooklyn named after an Asian American.
"It means a lot that people know about the immigrant history, we can live our American dream," Liu said.
Det. Ramos' widow was also there and said her husband would have loved being a grandfather to now-3-year-old Jaden.
"It's priceless to see so many people still come out after 10 years to honor their memory, it's amazing," Martiza Ramos said.
The school has deep ties to the community, which is nearly 60% Asian American. The principal speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese and there will be a free dental clinic for students and their families.
Liu was asked what she would think if one day her daughter wanted to be a police officer too.
"I would be so proud of her because she follows in her father's footsteps," Liu said.
City Council Member Susan Zhuang said this "is not just a simple name change, it's a reminder that generations to come will be given an education rooted in civic leadership and values that Detective Liu held so close to his heart."
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