Funeral Held For NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen, Killed In Line Of Duty
MONROE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Family, friends and fellow police officers paid their last respects to Officer Brian Mulkeen, a hero who gave his life in service to the NYPD.
Thousands gathered in Orange County on Friday morning for the funeral services.
Watch: Funeral Services Held For NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen --
CBS2's Nick Caloway reports it was a very somber mood at Sacred Heart Church in Monroe on Friday morning as loved ones and others he touched remembered the 33-year-old.
Officers stood at attention as Mulkeen's coffin was taken inside, draped in a green NYPD flag.
The six-year veteran was hit with friendly fire early Sunday morning while struggling with an armed suspect in the Bronx.
WATCH: NYPD News Conference On Officer Mulkeen's Death
"This is a tragic case of friendly fire. But make no mistake: We lost the life of a courageous public servant solely due to a violent criminal who put the lives of the police and all the people we serve in jeopardy," NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said earlier this week.
A sea of blue poured into the funeral home Thursday in Monroe, some waiting in line for hours. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the police commissioner and other elected officials were among the mourners.
WEB EXTRA: NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen's Body Comes Home
"While he was trying to apprehend a bad guy. I'm here as the borough president just to let the family know that that person is not representative of the over 1.4 million Bronxites and New Yorkers who really appreciate their service," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. "So I'm here to mourn and to say thank you and to pay my respects to a hero that we lost too soon."
Mulkeen grew up in the small village of Monroe, graduated from Fordham University and worked at Merrill Lynch before leaving his finance career to pursue his passion of becoming a police officer.
PHOTO GALLERY: Remembering Slain NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen
Officers from all over the country came to support Mulkeen's family.
Unfortunately, they've been to too many funerals and said goodbye to too many fellow officers.
"I'm sad that I have to be here. Throughout my 50 years as a police officer, it's just one too many," said Carmine Romeo, Dutchess County sheriff's deputy.
Some came from halfway across the country to show their respect.
"It's just something that we want to do, you know, to show support for the family," said Fort Worth Police Officer Andy Shelley.
Shelley is part of a group called Brotherhood For The Fallen.
"I just want it to stop. We're out here trying to do something good and you're targeted just because of the uniform you wear and what you're trying to do," he said.
All those thousands and thousands of officers stood silently outside Sacred Heart Church to give a final salute to a proud product of Monroe who returns home a fallen hero.
