Slain NYPD Cop Wenjian Liu Was Filling In For Late Colleague: ‘He Wasn’t Meant To Be There’

While New Yorkers try to come to terms with the brutal slaying of two on-duty NYPD cops over the weekend, it has been revealed that one of the victims, Police Officer Wenjian Liu was covering a fill-in shift for a colleague who was late for work.

In a statement released to the the New York Daily News, a police source said that Liu, 32, took the assignment after the cop who was late for work called a desk sergeant at the NYPD’s 84th Precinct in downtown Brooklyn. “He wasn’t supposed to be there,” the source said.

Liu’s widow, Pei Xia Chen, told reporters, without being able to hold back her tears of grief, “This is a difficult time for both of our families, But we will stand together and get through this together,” she said.

The officer who was supposed to be with Rafael Ramos, the other victim of the brutal double-execution, was reportedly wracked with guilt when he found out what had happened, “The kid is very, very distraught,” a police source said. “He’s beside himself. It’s very, very hard for him.”

Possibly, one of the worst aspects of the senseless killing of the two NYPD cops is the fact that the killer, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, had specifically targeted white cops, but in fact, ended up killing one cop from China and another with Latin-American parents, both minorities like African-Americans.

A statement from the Liu family said, “He was a dedicated public servant who committed his life to helping others, and we will deeply miss him.”

Eric Garner’s daughter, whose father died last July while resisting arrest, apparently due to a chokehold applied by one of the arresting officers, placed a candle at the site of the double murder after she was touched by an online message posted by Ramos’ son.

Jaden Ramos, 13, had written on Facebook the night his dad was killed, “Today I had to say bye to my father. It’s horrible that someone gets shot dead just for being a police officer…. I will always love you and never forget you.”

In relating to poor Jaden’s plight, Garner’s daughter posted, “I know how it feels in this season to not have your father around.”

The fact that Officer Liu wasn’t even supposed to be on duty when he was killed and was simply doing a good deed by covering for a colleague is a testimony to his sense of duty and responsibility.

As Christmas draws near, the staff of the Inquisitr would like to express our condolences to the relatives of the slain police officers. We also extend our condolences to the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. May they find peace in these trying times.