On March 12, 1909, while on a secret mission in Palermo, Sicily, NYPD Lt. Det. Joe Petrosino was murdered by members of the island’s criminal underworld. Members of the NYPD top brass, New York City dignitaries and family members of Lt. Detective Giuseppe “Joe” Petrosino gathered at his grave in Calvary Cemetery in Queens on Tuesday to mark 115 years since his murder.

Joe Petrosino was an immigrant who believed in the American dream and worked his way up the ranks of the NYPD to become the first Italian detective. He led a special task force called the Italian Squad, which was hellbent on taking down the Mafia and a group known as the Black Hand.