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Viewing today for Downey officer killed leaving police station
A rosary service and viewing will be held later today for Downey police officer Ricardo "Ricky" Galvez, who was shot eleven days ago during what appears to be a botched robbery.
The doors of the Downey Civic Theatre, located at 8435 Firestone Blvd., will open at 5 p.m. for the viewing. It will be followed at 6:30 p.m. by the rosary service. The memorial is open to the public until 8 p.m.
The funeral for Galvez will be held tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. Downey Police sergeant Terry Goeckner tells KPCC that he expects a capacity crowd.
That funeral will be followed by a procession to Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier where a graveside salute with full police honors will be held.
Galvez, 29, was a five-year veteran of the Downey Police Department. He was out of uniform and sitting in his BMW near the Downey police station when he was gunned down on Nov. 18.
Three men have been arrested and charged with murder.
Brothers Steven Knott, 18, and Jeremy Alvarez, 21, were arraigned last Monday and are being held without bail. Abel Diaz, who was 16 when he was arrested but turned 17 on Friday, was charged last week and is being held on $1 million bail, reports NBC Los Angeles.
All three face charges of special circumstance murder and attempted second-degree robbery.
The two adults could face the death penalty while Diaz faces a potential life sentence.
Galvez is survived by his mother, a brother and two sisters.
A fund for his family has been established at the Downey Federal Credit Union. Those wishing to make a donation can call 562-862-8141 and the credit union will provide them with more information.
Correction: An earlier version of this story erroneously reported Galvez was killed in the line of duty. He was killed in the parking lot adjacent to the police station as he left work.