Two NYPD officers are dead after a man shoots them while they are sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn.
Reports indicate that officers Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were fatally shot by 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley from Baltimore. The shooting took place on Saturday afternoon in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn.
After the shooting, the Brinsley ran away to a subway station where he fatally shot himself.
Brinsley reportedly traveled from Baltimore after shooting his ex-girlfriend leaving her injured.
The officers were taken to Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn where they died.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and other elected officials are condemning the shooting as the city mourns the death of the officers.
“When a police officer is murdered, it tears at the foundation of our society. It is an attack on all of us. It’s an attack on everything we hold dear,” de Blasio said. “We depend on our police to protect us against forces of criminality and evil.”
Bratton referred to the shooting as an “assassination” and said the incident is still being investigated.
“Both officers paid the ultimate sacrifice today while protecting the communities they serve,” he said.
As a strained relationship between the police, the community and city government continues, the Rev. Al Sharpton said at a press conference on Sunday that he denounces the killings. He was joined by the family of Eric Garner.
Several elected officials across the city have also condemned the shooting.
“Two human beings who wore a uniform and took an oath to protect– one a newlywed and one a father and husband– are dead,” Brooklyn City Council Member, Jumaane Williams said. “As we celebrate this holiday season, both families will be mourning this outrageous tragedy.”
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said that the shooting should not be used to divide the city even further.
“As we move forward in the difficult days ahead, we must be united, not divided. We can disagree, but we must not be disagreeable toward each other in a way that may create fissures between us,” he said.