Remembering Det. Rafael Ramos

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Almost a year has passed since two NYPD officers were gunned down in Brooklyn. With this sad anniversary just days away, the widow of Det. Rafael Ramos invited Fox 5 into her home to talk about the toughest year of her life and the legacy of her husband, a police officer who deeply cared about his community in and out of uniform.

The message that changed the life of Maritza Ramos and her family was painfully clear. The love of her life, Rafael, was killed on duty along with his partner Wenjian Liu on December 20, 2014.

It happened at Myrtle and Tompkins Avenue, a place Mrs. Ramos has not been able to visit yet. The thought of how he died is too much to bear.

She showed me family photos of her and her husband in happier days, and special times with their two sons -- now just memories. She is taking it one day at a time.

She believes her faith has helped her stay strong for her boys and that somehow her husband's murder was meant to ease the police-community tensions that tore the city apart.