Fighting for All That Is Decent and Good': Slain Officer Wenjian Liu Remembered as a Man of Justice and Kindness

Police from across the nation were joined by FBI Director James Comey, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City Police Commissioner at the funeral of slain NYPD officer Wenjian Liu Sunday morning.

Eulogies followed a traditional Buddhist ceremony in an intimate setting, with speakers praising Liu's courage and kindness.

Image via NBC News

FBI Director Comey urged those assembled to "make something good come from tragedy" so that "evil does not win the field."

Comey also noted that while Liu and his partner, Rafael Ramos, were gunned down last month in a shocking assassination, they were far from the only law enforcement officers killed in 2014.

"One hundred and fifteen police officers were killed in this country [last year], a shocking increase since 2013," Comey said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was slated to speak at Liu's funeral, but could not attend due to the recent death of his father, former Governor Mario Cuomo.

"All of our city is heartbroken today," said New York Mayor de Blasio.

Image via NBC News

He spoke of the sacrifices that Ramos, Liu and their families made "fighting for all that is decent and good."

"Detective Liu's story is such a powerful American story, such a classic New York story," de Blasio said, speaking of Liu's journey to America from China, his studying hard in school and his decision to become a police officer instead of an accountant after tragedy struck New York on 9/11.

De Blasio also spoke of Liu's kindess, generosity and dedication to family.

"Detective Liu's life revolved around his family: the family he was born into and his second family, the NYPD," de Blasio said.

Liu made many gestures, big and small, to help others, de Blasio said, from sharing his catches from fishing trips to calling his father at the end of every workday to let him know he was safe.

Liu even bought a house for his parents and paid the mortgage, de Blasio noted.

De Blasio quoted the Buddha — "Resolutely train yourself to attain peace" — and said, "That is how Detective Liu lived his life. That is how Detective Ramos lived his life."

De Blasio called on New Yorkers to, "rededicate ourselves to those great New York traditions of mutual understanding and harmony. Let us strengthen the bonds that unite us, and let us work together to attain peace."

Police Commissioner Bratton praised Liu's service and noted how, while in the past the NYPD had been dominated by Irish and then Italians, "Now our police officers are from everywhere."

He may have been addressing anti-police protesters when he said, "The NYPD looks a lot more like the city it serves than some people think."

Ramos and Liu were "murdered for their color — slain because they were blue," Bratton said.

Answering the question, "Why do we always lose the good ones?" Bratton chalked it up to the "Law of averages — almost all of them are 'good ones.'"

Bratton also quoted the Buddha — "Even when death comes, the lessons of goodness do not perish" — and he closed his speech by bowing three times towards Liu's photograph.

Liu's father, visibly crying, addressed the crowd in Chinese, saying that his son embodied "filial piety" — the Confucian value of respecting one's family.

Image via NBC News

After Liu's father spoke, another man rose and said, "On behalf of the Liu family, God bless America. God bless NYPD, you are the best."

Liu's wife delivered a heartfelt message, tears streaming down her face.

"I thank you for sharing this moment with me to reflect the goodness of [Liu's] soul," she said.

Image via NBC News

"We spoke often of how much respect he had for the law," she added, speaking of Liu as her "hero" and "soulmate."

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