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Family Of Officer Killed In Brooklyn Urges Peace, Unity

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The family of slain NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos spoke out on Sunday outside of the home where the officer grew up and where his mother still lives.

Richard Gonzales, Ramos' first cousin, told 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria it's time for the city to come together and forgive the killer.

"We don't blame him. We forgive him. The Ramos family forgives him because God forgave us," he said. "And I know if Rafael was here and it was the opposite, he would say the same words -- he forgave him."

Family Of Officer Killed In Brooklyn Urges Peace, Unity

People at the home held candles while the family spoke and a priest said several prayers, D'Auria reported.

"He loved his job. He loved his wife. He was a dedicated father. And I wish I could be half the man my cousin was, really," said Ronnie Gonzalez.

Ramos' aunt, Lucy Ramos, said she hopes that common ground and peace can be found within this tragedy.

"...Our beloved family member Rafael Ramos who will always be loved and missed by many. I hope and pray that we can reflect on this tragic loss of lives that have occurred so that we can move forward and find an amicable path to a peaceful coexistence," she said.

At the scene of the shooting, the community gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil. Dozens of police officers also attended bearing flowers to pay their respects, CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported.

"I'm just so sad about the way it came down and I'm just hoping that we find some peace, and we can all get together and resolve this in a decent way," one attendee said.

"We're moving forward to repair police-community relations. And make sure that we can have the kind of reforms that the mayor was elected to enact, but in a way that our cops are safe and that they're part of that conversation," one man said.

Officer Ramos has two sons, ages 17 and 13. Jaden Ramos, 13, posted a message on Facebook Sunday, reading "Today I had to say bye to my father. He was their for me everyday of my life, he was the best father I could ask for. It's horrible that someone gets shot dead just for being a police officer. Everyone says they hate cops but they are the people that they call for help. I will always love you and I will never forget you. RIP Dad."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo paid a visit to Ramos' wife earlier in the day. A friend of the officer and president of the 75th Precinct Community Council, Juan Rodriguez, said Mayor Bill de Blasio should also meet with the family.

Family Of Officer Killed In Brooklyn Urges Peace, Unity

Rodriguez said de Blasio needs to show more support for the NYPD, WCBS 880's Monica Miller reported.

"You need to support your police officers as well. And this is the reason why they gave him their back. He didn't show them support and he needs to support them," he said.

And despite PBA President Patrick Lynch's recent statement saying de Blasio should not attend the funerals of officers killed in the line of duty, the Ramos family said they would like the mayor to attend, Sanchez reported.

Ramos, 40 and Officer Wenjian Liu, 32, were gunned down Saturday afternoon while sitting in their patrol car outside of the Tompkins Houses.

Police said the shooter, 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, then fled to a nearby subway station before he fatally shot himself in the head.

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