With solemn dignity, the casket of slain NYPD officer Rafael Ramos is carried into Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens ... as fellow officers stand quietly for his wake.

It was the uniform Ramos wore with pride that made him a target.

Police say a gunman -- set on killing cops to avenge police shootings of unarmed black men -- ambushed Ramos and his partner in their patrol car on December 20th, killing both men.

(SOUNDBITE) PASTOR RALPH CASTILLO, CHRIST TABERNACLE CHURCH, SAYING:

"We loved Rafael Ramos. He was a gift to our church. We loved his faithfulness and the way that he served people. We will miss him a great deal."

Outside the church ... tributes from total strangers who never knew him.

(SOUNDBITE) LAURA HATTON, RESIDENT, SAYING:

"We appreciate his sacrifice and the work he did for all New Yorkers."

The killings have deepened tensions in New York, where some police and their unions have criticized Mayor Bill de Blasio for not prope