Thousands of police have been gathering in New York for the funeral of an officer who was shot dead with his partner.

Rafael Ramos was sitting in a patrol car with colleague Wenjian Liu on December 20 when they were both shot and killed by 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley.

Brinsley, who claimed he was avenging the killing of black people by police, then shot himself dead moments later.

Hundreds of officers dressed in blue uniforms have been seen standing outside the Christ Tabernacle Church in the New York City suburb of Queens.

Vice President Joe Biden has already spoken and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is among those speaking.

Mr Biden said their deaths had "touched the soul of the entire nation":

When the Ramos family arrived, his eldest son - wearing his father's New York Police Department jacket - was hugged by a police officer.

Funeral plans for his partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, have yet to be announced.

The execution-style killing was so swift, according to the city's police commissioner, that the officers may never have seen their assailant.

Mr Ramos, 40, had been on the force for two years and was raising two teenage sons with his wife, Maritza.

It follows Mayor de Blasio and thousands more officers gathering outside the church for Officer Ramos' wake last night