LIVE VIDEO: Watch funeral services for Officer Brian Lorenzo starting at 9:00 a.m.
It is a somber day - a day of grief - as hundreds of people are expected at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
Officers lined up to salute the casket carrying the body of for Officer Lorenzo as it was brought into the Basilica.
This morning the process began at Givnish Funeral Home in Northeast Philadelphia and went to Police Headquarters. It finally ended at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on Arch Street.
The Philadelphia Police Department wanted to give a fitting tribute to thank him and his family for his service for over two decades to the City of Philadelphia.
Hundreds of officers, family and friends gathered at the Givinish Funeral Home on Academy Road Thursday evening for the first of two viewings for Officer Brian Lorenzo.
It was a solemn procession of uniformed officers from across the region, making their way to the Givnish Funeral Home to pay their respects to Officer Lorenzo's family.
"We're just here to show our respect to his family," said Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross, "and represent for someone who served this city well."
Lorenzo, a 22-year veteran of the force, was killed by a drunk driver going the wrong way in I-95 early Sunday morning. A married father of three children, he was on his police motorcycle and was going home in uniform after finishing his shift.
"Our hearts are heavy right now," said Ross. "We hope that everyone keeps his family in their prayers and supports them in the coming days."
There will be a public viewing Friday morning at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul followed by a funeral mass at noon.
