Officer mourned as 3rd suspect arraigned

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PHILADELPHIA, May 9 (UPI) -- Hundreds of police officers packed Philadelphia's Roman Catholic cathedral or waited outside in the rain Friday during a funeral mass for a brother officer.

Hours before Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski was laid to rest, a third suspect in his killing was arraigned, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Eric DeShawne Floyd, who was arrested Wednesday night in an abandoned rowhouse, appeared at a 4:30 a.m. hearing by closed-circuit television and was ordered held without bail.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey opened the service at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul with a short tribute.

"He's not a hero because of the way he died," Ramsey said, "He's a hero because years ago, he made a decision, he answered the call, he wanted to help others."

Liczbinski's son, Matt, who called his father "a simple man," asked the congregation to join in a cheer for the officer's favorite team, the Philadelphia Flyers.

Liczbinski was gunned down last Saturday as he pursued three suspects in a bank robbery. One of the suspects, the man who allegedly shot Liczbinski, was killed by other officers minutes later and a second was arrested later that day.