A law enforcement officer’s worst fear occurred in New York as two NYPD cops were murdered on Saturday, Dec. 20, in the line of duty. Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were ambushed while sitting in their patrol car outside the Tompkins Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, in Brooklyn. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley (aka Ismail Brinsley), 28, fled to a nearby subway station and committed suicide. The officers were transported to Woodhull Hospital with gunshot wounds to the head and later pronounced dead. This senseless shooting marks the seventh time partners were murdered since 1972 in the NYPD, according to commissioner Bill Bratton.
Details about the shooter are emerging and paint a picture of a violent thug with possible prison gang affiliations. It turns out Brinsley shot his ex-girlfriend in the stomach earlier during the day while in Baltimore. Baltimore police sent a warning to the NYPD that Brinsley might be heading to Brooklyn but the warning arrived too late. Witness accounts state that Brinsley calmly walked up to the idling squad car and opened fire on the unsuspecting officers. He shot into the car at least five times before fleeing to a nearby subway station. Apparently, Brinsley’s motivation for the killings was revenge for the deaths of Eric Garner, who died from being placed in a chokehold by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, and Mike Brown. He chillingly took to social media and indicated what his intentions were that day. His Instagram handle of “dontrunup” read ”i’m putting wings on pigs today. they take 1 of ours…… let’s take 2 of theirs #shootthepolice #riperivgardner #ripmikebrown this may be my final post i’m putting pigs in a blanket”
In addition he used an app that tracks traffic issues and police activity to hunt for his intended victims.
Police are now investigating Brinsley’s affiliation with the militant group Black Guerilla Fmily (BGF). In the early part of December a threat was made by the Black Guerilla Family, which specifically stated on duty police would be ambushed and shot.
