Loved ones, NYPD officers flood Bronx street for vigil honoring NYPD Officer Alexis Martinez
NEW YORK -- A vigil was held Thursday in the Bronx for an NYPD officer who was shot and killed by his own father in an apparent murder-suicide on Wednesday.
What was a crime scene became a place of prayer and support for a grieving family and the grieving men and women of the NYPD.
"I get a call saying, 'Do you need us to shut the street down?' And I'm like, 'What do you mean?' He's like, 'Yeah, over 1,000 officers confirmed that they were gonna come,'" said a cousin of the victim.
Officer Alexis Martinez was off-duty and at home when police say he was shot by his own father Wednesday afternoon, leaving a family, a neighborhood and a police department in a state of disbelief.
Martinez was just 26 years old.
"Everybody he came in contact with. He was an amazing soul," said Gabriel DeJesus, an NYPD coordination officer in the 40th Precinct.
"The crowd here speaks volumes. Volumes that community, family, police come together and support Alexis's family," NYPD Deputy Chief Benjamin Gurley said.
Martinez worked in the specialized Bronx Narcotics Division.
Commissioner Edward Caban called his death an "unspeakable loss." He was there alongside fellow saluting officers as Martinez's body was carried out on Wednesday.
Police say Martinez's father shot his son before shooting himself. Martinez's cousin spoke about his uncle, saying he loved him, and mentioned the importance of mental health awareness.
"Every once in a while, those emotions bottle up and then you implode. My uncle was not a violent man," he said.
Several spoke of Martinez's work in the community. Fellow officers say he climbed the NYPD ranks quickly while remaining dedicated to the Soundview community, even setting up a scholarship for students at his high school.
Martinez's mentor in the NYPD, Lt. Michael Almonte, had to fight through tears to speak.
"I heard someone say earlier you die twice, and the second time is when we stop mentioning your name. And I can tell you, we will never stop mentioning his name," he said.