SOMETIMES 9-year-olds become men before their time. Yesterday was such a time for little Kevin Rafferty.
The youngster bravely stood up at St. Mary’s Church in East Islip, L.I., yesterday for the funeral of his hero father.
NYPD Detective Patrick Rafferty, 39, was shot dead with his partner, Detective Robert Parker, 43, on the job in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, Friday night.
Kevin, speaking clearly, told the packed congregation how scared he was when a big ugly bear once paid a visit to their upstate campsite. “He told me not to be afraid, everything is OK and he threw some rocks,” young Kevin said. “The bear went away.”
And then the heartbreaker: “I love my dad more than anything in the world and I want you to know that,” he said as he looked at the coffin.
His touching speech drew applause and tears from crowd, which included 15,000 or more cops from New York and beyond, most of them listening to the proceedings piped outside the small church on loudspeakers.
Detective Joe Calabrese gave a wonderful eulogy for his onetime partner: “The only people who are not sad to see Patrick go are the ducks in Long Island, the rabbits in Maine and the perps in Brooklyn.”
Among the crowd at St. Mary’s was Officer Suzy Johnson, 25 years on the job, who retires today at the 75th Precinct.
“I’m on the eve of my retirement and I hope this is my last funeral as a cop. I have seen too many.”
Tomorrow as a citizen, just a citizen, Suzy Johnson will be going to Detective Robert Parker’s funeral. “I’ve seen so many go through those doors. Just great humans.”
Standing outside St. Mary’s was Officer Timothy Dillon from Brooklyn North. He retires in 18 months to become a Franciscan priest. True.
“When a cop is murdered, a little of all of us are killed,” said soon-to-be Father Dillon.
There were politicians there, Mayor Mike, Police Commissioner Kelly, Fire Commissioner Scoppetta, the DAs from Queens and Brooklyn.
While we all know about executions – these two cops were executed, after all – apparently Albany does not.
We do not have a death penalty on the books anymore – it was overturned by the courts, and our legislators haven’t done a blessed thing to come up with a new one that works.
“I have required the death penalty in 11 cases in Brooklyn,” said Brooklyn DA Joe Hynes. “It’s up to Albany, although I think the detectives today will be speaking rather forcefully for the death penalty.”
Paul Digiacomo, an executive with the Detectives Endowment Association, said: “If this is not a death-penalty case, then I don’t know what is.”
Then there was little Emma Rafferty, four years of age, so blond, so tiny. She walked in front of her mother, Eileen, and sister Kara, 12, to be presented with the American flag by Lt. Mike Palmieri of the 6-7 Squad. I turned away from my colleagues lest they see the obvious – I was crying. Of course, I was not alone.
As a brave cop went to his final resting place, the alleged perpetrator of this wanton massacre, a street thug named Marlon Legere, was resting, confident in the knowledge that his life is safe.
Go figure.