Motorcycle Cops From All Over Lead NYPD Det. Wilbert Mora's Procession To Queens Cemetery
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- From St. Patrick's Cathedral, Wednesday's funeral procession for NYPD Det. Wilbert Mora took a detour on its way to Calvary Cemetery in Queens.
CBS2's Tony Aiello was in East Harlem as neighbors of the slain brother in blue offered a heartfelt goodbye.
READ MORE: NYPD Det. Wilbert Mora Honored With Hero's Funeral At St. Patrick's Cathedral
It sounded like the rumble of an avalanche of grief. Motorcycle cops from departments in Bergen, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and many other counties across the region led the hearse carrying Mora's casket. The route from Midtown to Queens detoured through East Harlem, past the building where Mora lived and where his memory is enshrined.
"He's the youngest of four. He lived here with his mother and father. Not well, not well at all," neighbor Stacey Anderson said.
NYPD officers stood at attention, saluting their colleague and no doubt feeling the pain of his sacrifice.
"This procession was extremely moving. I live a few blocks away, used to live in the 32nd Precinct area. He seemed like a wonderful, wonderful young man who was raised the right way. God bless him is all I can say," resident May Wong said.
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There is grief over the senseless loss of Mora and Det. Jason Rivera, who was killed in the same ambush in Harlem, and pride that two heroes of Dominican heritage served our city with distinction.
"Prideful that this was their dream to protect and serve," one person said.
"We're all one family. We should love each other. That's what the world is about," Loretta Santiago added.
READ MORE: Mourners Pay Respects At Wake For NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora, 2nd Officer To Die After Harlem Ambush
Mora was a boy from the Dominican Republic who became a man whose sacrifice will always be honored. A grateful city mourns, and will remember.
The procession ended at Calvary Cemetery in Queens. After a commitment ceremony there, the Mora family and some close colleagues from the 32nd Precinct planned on meeting at a church to share a meal and some memories, and to shed some tears.
The memory of Det. Mora will be enshrined in many ways, including at the 32nd Precinct stationhouse, where his locker will become a memorial.