Widow of slain New York police officer pins shield on recruit whose husband was a mentor

Maritza Ramos, widow of slain NYPD Detective Rafael Ramos, pins a shield on Officer Mohamad Ghafari. Her husband mentored the 25-year-old rookie when he served as a training officer.NYPD/Facebook

The widow of slain New York Police Department Detective Rafael Ramos welcomed a new recruit her husband introduced to the force on July 2 by pinning on his new officer’s badge.

ABC7 reports that 25-year-old officer Mohamad Ghafari says that as a young boy he spent every afternoon with Ramos, who was a school safety officer at the time.

“We just hung out and talked for hours while I waited for my mom to pick me up,” Ghafari said. “We became good friends.”

Maritza Ramos wishes her husband could be there, but said she is proud to represent his memory and the impact he had.

Detective Rafael Ramos and his partner, Detective Wenjian Liu, were ambushed and murdered in their police car in December 2014.