Two New York City police officers were killed after being shot “execution-style” in their parked patrol car on Saturday.
New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said the officers were deliberately targeted because they were police officers, according to USA Today.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– William J. Bratton” author_title=”NYC Police Commissioner”]
They were, quite simply, assassinated, targeted for their uniform and the responsibility they embraced. Both were ambushed and murdered… They may have never even seen their assailant, their murderer.
[/quote]
The shooting occurred around 3:00 pm in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn. Officers Wenjin Liu and Raphael Ramos were sitting in their vehicle when a man approached on the passenger side and opened fire, ABC News reported.
The officers — one with two years’ experience on the job and the other with seven years — were typically assigned to downtown Brooklyn. They were working a “critical response” detail in the area when they were shot, according to CNN.
The suspect, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, fled into a subway station. He was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Earlier on Saturday, police believe Brinsley shot his ex-girlfriend at her home in Baltimore County, Maryland. He posted on her Instagram account, indicating he had a “very strong bias against” police, according to Bratton.
The last fatal shooting of an NYPD officer before today occurred in December 201, when Peter Figoski, a 22-year veteran on the force, responded to a break-in and was shot in the face. The shooter, Lamont Pride, was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison.
