Fallen Officer's Family Lays Wreaths at Memorial

The family of one of the two officers who was killed in an ambush by a man who posted his intent to attack officers to social media laid two wreaths at a growing memorial for their loved one and his partner.

Heart-wrenching cries could be heard Wednesday as the family of Officer Wenjian Liu visited the makeshift memorial at Tompkins and Myrtle avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant for the first time. 

An artist also created a memorial in Staten Island to honor the lives of Liu and Officer Rafael Ramos. Scott Lobaido's memorial features an NYPD badge and two large spears wrapped in 4,000 blue holiday lights, the Staten Island Advance reported. Two empty chairs sit nearby. 

JetBlue said it Wednesday would fly family members of the officers to New York for the funerals for free. The company is working with partner airlines to assist in flying Liu's family from overseas, said Tamara young, spokeswoman for JetBlue.

On Tuesday, iconic New York City landmarks including the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller tree dimmed their lights in honor of the slain officers Other buildings participating included the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Four Times Square and One Bryant Park.

Ramos was a married father who recently celebrated his 40th birthday and had two teenagers; his funeral is scheduled for Saturday. Liu was married two months ago and he and his wife had talked about building a family; he was his parents' only son. A funeral date for Liu hasn’t been announced.

The man who shot the officers, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, wrote in an Instagram post that he was "putting wings on pigs" and referenced the police-involved deaths of the 43-year-old Eric Garner on Staten Island and Michael Brown in Missouri. Police believe Brinsley, who fatally shot himself in a subway station after killing the officers, was motivated by anger at police. 

-- Marc Santia contributed to this article 

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