Local Officers Travel To New York City For Funeral

Four police officers from Santa Barbara County will spend the weekend in New York for the funeral service of New York City police officer Wenijian Liu.

Authorities say Liu and his partner, Rafael Ramos, were shot inside their patrol car in December by Ismaaiyl Brinsley.

Santa Maria police officers Ronnie Murillo and Todd Logan traveled to New York Thursday night to show their respects.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to come over here to represent our department for one of our fallen brothers,” Murillo said.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a law enforcement officer in California or New York or any other state, [police] run the same inherent risks,” Logan said.

Greg Hons with the Santa Barbara Police Department told KCOY/KEYT’s Cory James “[they] are there to honor them and almost more importantly their families.”

Brinsley is accused of killing Liu and Ramos ambush style because he did not like the outcomes of the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases.

Jet Blue Airlines offered two complimentary tickets to New York to each police agency in the country to attend the NYPD funeral services.

The Santa Maria Police Department said addition to the tickets, it received donations from people in the community who wanted to help pay the additional costs.

The funeral service for Liu is Sunday at 10 a.m.