Pearland Police Officers Rivera and Thedford stand in front of an American flag and the throng of people who came to New York City to pay last respects to fallen Officer Ramos.
The Pearland Police Officers’ Association (PPOA) was able to raise $4,500 in just over three days to send two Honor Guard Officers to fallen NYPD Officer Ramos’s funeral, which was held Saturday (Dec. 27).
The generosity of Pearland residents and businesses provided most of the funds to make the trip possible.
“We cannot begin to thank the citizens and businesses enough who made this endeavor possible. This is a great example of citizens supporting their police department,” said PPOA President-Elect Det. John DeSpain.
“Personally speaking, I cannot begin to tell all of the heart-warming stories as I made stops around Pearland to pick up donations. From the little old lady saying, ‘All I have to spare is $1, but I want the officers to go,’ to another family whose children went to houses on their street to collect money and all signed a card saying ‘Thank You for protecting us,’ it all made a difference,” DeSpain added.
Pearland Police Officers Thedford and Rivera flew to New York on Friday (Dec. 26) to attend the funeral.
“Officer Thedford sent a text from New York saying the closest they could get was about 1/4 mile from the church but it was still a sea of blue in front and in back of them. They were also able to meet up with the Houston PD Honor Guard at the funeral,” said DeSpain.
NYPD Officer Ramos and his partner, Officer Liu, were shot “execution style” on Dec. 20 by a person who had shared his intentions on social media earlier that day to, “Put wings on two pigs.” The shooter later took his own life.
