An NYPD officer who died responding to a robbery 78 years ago had a street co-named after him on Monday.

Officer Leon Fox was shot and killed on the corner of West 12th Street and Surf Avenue in Coney Island in 1941. The street will now be known as 'Leon Fox Way.'

Top city and police officials were on hand for the event. They say it's their job to tell the stories of the people who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Fox's only child, Gerald Fox, flew in from California for the ceremony. Fox says he thought for years that his father's legacy was long forgotten.

"It doesn't really make a difference if it's 10 years later, 50 years later or more than 78 years later," Gerald said.