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Read the press release here.

City Raises $120K for Families of Police Killed in Bed-Stuy

By Aidan Gardiner | December 29, 2014 2:28pm
 The Mayor's Fund raised thousands of dollars for the families of Rafael Ramos, left, and Wenjian Liu.
The Mayor's Fund raised thousands of dollars for the families of Rafael Ramos, left, and Wenjian Liu.
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NYPD

MANHATTAN — The city has raised more than $100,000 for the families of the two NYPD officers who were shot to death in their squad car earlier this month, the mayor's office said.

Major companies like Chase, Verizon and AT&T joined philanthropic organizations and everyday New Yorkers to donate about $120,000 to the Mayor's Fund for the families of detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, who were murdered on Dec. 20.

"Detectives Ramos and Liu were — and always will be — heroes that dedicated their lives to serving others and protecting their communities," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

"Initiatives like this relief effort can help their loved ones start to piece their lives back together and cultivate stronger police-community relations across New York."

The money that's been raised will go to the detectives' families and organizations that are working with them, a spokeswoman for the mayor said.

The organizers are working with the families to determine how much they need and how much will go to the other organizations, the spokeswoman said.

FIND OUT OTHER WAYS TO HELP FAMILIES OF MURDERED POLICE

Liu and Ramos had been sitting in their car when Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who had arrived in New York after shooting his girlfriend in Maryland earlier that Saturday, came up from behind and shot through their window.

He then ran to a nearby subway station and killed himself.

The killings shocked the city, sparking an outpouring of grief and support. 

The Yankees' Silver Shield Foundation pledged $20,000 to pay for the education of each of Ramos' two surviving sons.

The Daily News also started its own fund for the families and had raised another $125,000 for them as of Dec. 28, the newspaper reported.

At least three other organizations have been raising money for the families as well.

In its update about the money raised for the families, the mayor's office urged New Yorkers to do volunteer work and try to strengthen relationships between civilians and the police.

"With the generous support of our donors and the magnanimous spirit the people of New York City always show in a crisis, we can emerge from this tragedy as a stronger city," de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, said.