With solemn dignity, the casket of slain NYPD officer Rafael Ramos is carried into Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens ... as fellow officers stand quietly for his wake.<br/> <br />It was the uniform Ramos wore with pride that made him a target.<br/> <br />Police say a gunman -- set on killing cops to avenge police shootings of unarmed black men -- ambushed Ramos and his partner in their patrol car on December 20th, killing both men.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) PASTOR RALPH CASTILLO, CHRIST TABERNACLE CHURCH, SAYING:<br/> <br />"We loved Rafael Ramos. He was a gift to our church. We loved his faithfulness and the way that he served people. We will miss him a great deal."<br/> <br />Outside the church ... tributes from total strangers who never knew him.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) LAURA HATTON, RESIDENT, SAYING:<br/> <br />"We appreciate his sacrifice and the work he did for all New Yorkers."<br/> <br />The killings have deepened tensions in New York, where some police and their unions have criticized Mayor Bill de Blasio for not prope
