Wake Held For Man Who Died In Brooklyn Home Invasion; 2 People Of Interest Identified
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A wake was under way late Thursday for a 91-year-old man who died during a home invasion last week.
As CB2's Alice Gainer reported, Waldiman Thompson died after being tied up inside his home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. His 100-year-old wife, Ethlin, was also restrained by the intruders.
Friends and family gathered Thursday afternoon at the Hanson Place Seventh Day Adventist Church, at 88 Hanson Pl. in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, to pay their respects to Waldiman Thompson. He was a parishioner at the church for decades.
Waldiman and Ethlin Thompson were married to one another for 30 years. She entered the church in the mid-afternoon Thursday.
Church members said she had been unbelievably strong, forgiving their assailants. Last week, Waldiman Thompson went into cardiac arrest after the couple was tied up inside their home on Decatur Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant and died.
Police said several men entered their apartment late Wednesday afternoon, tied them up, and stole cash.
Ethlin Thompson managed to untie herself and call 911. Police have since released surveillance video of one man carrying what appears to be a black lock box in his right hand.
On Thursday, the NYPD announced that they have identified two people of interest.
"We are actively pursuing them; gathering evidence against them. We believe they are the individuals responsible to this," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. "We're getting close, and that's good news."
A funeral for Waldiman Thompson will be held at the church at 10 a.m. Friday.