New York Police Detective Troy Patterson was ambushed and shot during a robbery in 1990. He spent the next 33 years in an effectively catatonic state, unable to speak and capable only of limited engagement with those around him.

Upon his death on April 29 and his funeral on Friday, the NYPD gave him a hero's farewell.

Patterson was not, as some reports say, in a coma. He was in a vegetative state and his son and grandchildren say he seemed to recognize them when they were with him.

"He did recognize a lot of people's voices," said Troy Patterson Jr. "He would listen. He would laugh."

Patterson received a series of medals and over half a dozen commendations during his brief time on the police force; he was promoted to detective in 2016, after over 25 years in a catatonic state.

Here's a local news report on his life and the funeral: