Philadelphia police gathered outside Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church Monday night for a solemn procession to honor one of their own, Officer Andy Chan.
Chan died earlier this month after being critically injured on the job in 2019.
The first of two viewings for Chan was Monday evening.
“My men and women get up every day and run the possibility of not going home, and what they must all understand is that we will always be there for them,” Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.
Chan, a highway patrol officer, died on Dec. 2, nearly seven years after he was critically injured when a driver hit his motorcycle in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia.
Chan was a decorated officer who received a commendation in 2011. John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, grew up with Chan and said his work mattered to this community.
“To have someone who grew up in Chinatown just say, hey I want to be a police officer, and to have that representation across the city, it’s wonderful,” Chin said.
Katherine Ngee went to school with Chan at Holy Redeemer, and they have been friends ever since. She calls his loss profound and said his legacy will remain with people who knew him.
“He was just a great person to everybody,” Ngee said, “and if you were his friend, you were his best friend, that’s the kind of guy he was.”
A public viewing and a funeral for Chan are scheduled for Tuesday at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. Several road closures will be in place to accommodate a procession to the church.
