Family honors Officer Alexis Martinez on one-year anniversary of his death
Described by his cousin as ambitious and driven, Martinez was working toward his detective shield at just 26 years old.
More Stories
The family of Officer Alexis Martinez honored his legacy at the Woodlawn Cemetery - on the one-year anniversary of his death.
"It feels like just yesterday, I can literally recount everything in my head from when I got that call," said Felix Camacho, cousin of Alexis Martinez.
Martinez was shot by his father, who battled with mental health issues. His father then turned the gun on himself. It was a tragedy that their family still struggles to understand.
"It's hard to wrap your head around it, the fact that it's been a year already, the world hasn't been the same," said Camacho.
Martinez was a Bronx narcotics officer, who quickly climbed the ranks in the NYPD. Described by his cousin as ambitious and driven, Martinez was working toward his detective shield at just 26 years old.
"He loved everything about being a cop, he had aspirations to move up and he was on his way," said Camacho.
Born two weeks apart, Camacho says he and Martinez were inseparable. In order to carry on his cousin's legacy, Camacho joined the police academy in Philadelphia.
"He was my main influence for wanting to get into law enforcement, I am going to be able to wear his badge number, it's going to give me a reason why to put that uniform on every day, I will live the rest of my life with his memory inside of me," said Camacho.
