The households of Gregory Foster and Rocco Laurie pay tribute to the slain officers exterior the ninth Precinct in Manhattan.
Gabriella Bass
As New Yorkers mourned the ambush deaths of two younger cops final week, the NYPD has not forgotten two different officers who suffered an analogous destiny 50 years in the past.
Cops Rocco Laurie and Gregory Foster, who had been killed in an ambush on the Decrease East Aspect on Jan. 27, 1972, had been honored with a memorial ceremony exterior the ninth Precinct stationhouse on Thursday morning.
“At the moment is a really laborious day for me and my household,” mentioned NYPD cop George Foster III, the slain cop’s grandson. “It's wonderful that they're nonetheless remembered and we're really grateful.”
“I can’t consider how many individuals nonetheless keep in mind my grandfather,” he mentioned on the Decrease Manhattan precinct the place each he and his grandfather served town.
Retired NYPD Detective John McAuliffe mentioned the pair is definitely remembered.
“Each rookie who walks within the ninth Precinct is informed of the PO Gregory Foster and PO Rocco Laurie story,” he mentioned. “It was not misplaced on anybody the parallels between at present’s ceremony and the upcoming funerals of PO Jason Rivera and PO Wilbert Mora.
“They had been each assassinated by cowards who killed them as a result of they had been cops,” McAuliffe added. “Bought bless them.”
Jason Rivera, 22, and Wilbert Mora, 27, had been shot and killed by profession legal Lashawn McNeil throughout a home disturbance name in Harlem on Friday.
Laurie and Foster had been strolling a beat on Avenue B and East eleventh Road a half-century earlier once they had been shot within the again by members of the Black Liberation Military, in accordance with the Officer Down Memorial Web page.
“At the moment could be very emotional,” Laurie’s widow, Adelaide Laurie, mentioned throughout Thursday’s ceremony. “Our hearts are damaged over the lack of two extra younger males. Rocco was 23 and Greg was 22. So mindless. A lot to reside for and a lot to attain.
“My life has by no means been the identical since that terrible night time,” she added. “Time doesn't heal wounds. You do go on and attempt to reside your life. It's a wound that can by no means heal.”
Talking on the ceremony, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell mentioned town will always remember the fallen cops — then or now.
“We stand robust within the face of the good problem and tragedy,” Sewell mentioned. “We do that in honor of Patrolman Rocco Laurie and Patrolman Gregory Foster. I'm in awe and really grateful for the honorable work being carried out by our officers.”
One of many gunmen sought within the murders of Laure and Foster was shot and killed lower than a month later in a shootout with police in St. Louis.
One other, who had Laurie’s service revolver when he was arrested within the St. Louis incident, was extradited to New York.
He was acquitted in 1973 — solely to be sentenced to 25 years in Missouri.
A 3rd suspect was arrested in New Orleans in 1973 and sentenced to life in jail within the deaths of two different NYPD cops in 1971 — Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones.
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