NEW YORK — Donations are being sought for the family of Officer Miosotis Familia, a 48-year-old mother of three who was assassinated Wednesday while on duty in a Bronx neighborhood that residents call a “war zone.”
The Tunnels to Towers Foundation announced they’re raising money for Familia’s three children and her mother. Familia was gunned down hours following the Fourth of July holiday.
“Please join our nationwide effort to raise significant funds to support the three children left behind by NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia, who was killed in the Line of Duty,” the organization wrote on its Facebook page.
To donate, click here.
Created in the aftermath of 9/11 in honor of a first responder who died that day, the foundation aims to help families of first responders killed in the line of duty.
In recent years, they’ve helped the families of NYPD detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos and most recently that family of FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo.
Maritza Ramos, the wife of Rafael Ramos, is expected to make an announcement with Frank Siller, the CEO of the foundation, regarding Familia’s family on Friday afternoon.
A 12-year NYPD veteran, Familia came to police work later than most on a force, where the average recruit is 26 years old. She had been a nurse and medical assistant first, according to her profile on the career site LinkedIn. A mother of three who lived with her own mother in the Bronx, she felt a calling to help her community, friends said.
“She’d give you the shirt off her back,” said Tom Ritter, a plumber who lived downstairs from Familia.
He said Familia treated his now-22-year-old son like one of her own children.
“She was the sweetest person you ever want to meet,” Ritter said.
Wake and funeral plans for Familia have not yet been announced.
