NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly on Thursday heaped praise on slain Police Officer Omar Edwards, calling him a driven man whose dream was to become part of the department.

Hundreds of NYPD officers lined the streets of Brooklyn to mourn Edwards, the 25-year-old cop who was off-duty and chasing an alleged car burglar when he was shot by a fellow police officer.

A sea of blue stretched for blocks as Edwards' former colleagues descended on Our Lady of Victory Church. Kelly extended his condolences to Edwards' family, and says the department is still trying to understand what happened. Edwards is being posthumously promoted to detective.

AP wire services were used in this report.