NYPD Officers Shot - Two New York City Police officers were shot and killed by a gunman who ambushed their patrol car in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon, in an apparent retaliation for the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers earlier this year.
"They were quite simply assassinated, targeted for their uniforms," NYPD Police Commissioner William Bratton said during a press conference at Woodhull medical center.
The NYPD officers shot have been identified as 40-year-old Rafael Ramos and 32-year-old Wenjian Liu.
The suspected shooter has been identified as Ismaaiyl Brinsley. The 28-year-old attacked the NYPD officers outside the Bedford-Stuyvesant housing projects in Brooklyn.
"Officer Ramos and Officer Liu never had time to draw their weapons," Bratton said. "They may have never had time to see their assailant."
Reports say that Brinsley shot the two NYPD officers in the head through the passenger-side widow of their patrol car, which was parked near the Tompkins Houses public development.
"The two officers were rushed to Woodhull hospital but, despite every effort to save their lives, both officers tragically succumbed," Bratton said.
The suspect escaped on foot after the shooting and was chased by other officers. He shot and killed himself on a westbound platform on Willoughby G-train station.
Brinsley reportedly shot himself in the head before the authorities could reach him. Officials retrieved a weapon on the scene of his death. The incident has reportedly forced the subway service to be partially suspended.
"Our hearts are heavy. We lost two good men who devoted their lives to protect the city they loved. Our hearts go out to their families to their comrades in arms at the 84th precinct, to the family of the NYPD," Mayor Bill De Blasio said.
According to reports, Officer Ramous had a 13-year-old son, while Officer Liu had gotten married recently.
Reports indicate that Brinsley, who was born in New York but had been living in Georgia, has a long criminal history. On Saturday morning, he shot and wounded his girlfriend in Baltimore before fleeing to New York, where he attacked the officers in the afternoon.
Brinsley's criminal history in Georgia includes arrests and charges for carrying a concealed weapon, robbery, shoplifting, disorderly conduct and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
Local reports indicate that Brinsley had posted a message on his Instagram account, where he threatened to have NYPD officers shot and killed as a retaliation for Eric Garner and Mike Brown.
"They Take 1 Of Ours.......Lets Take 2 of Theirs," Brinsley posted on Instagram with hastags that referenced Garner and Brown.
Baltimore County Police Department said during a press conference that they had discovered Brinsley 's social media threat and called the NYPD to inform them 30 minutes before the suspect shot and killed the officers Ramos and Liu. Baltimore police also faxed a picture of Brinsley in addition to the threat.
"Two brave men won't be going home to their loved ones tonight," President Barrack Obama said as he condemned the attacks.
Meanwhile, civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton has revealed that the Garner family is outraged by the incident. "The Garner family and I have always stressed that we do not believe that all police are bad, on fact we have stressed that most police are not bad," he said.
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