Two New York policemen executed in broad daylight by man who shot his girlfriend before bragging on Instagram that he was going to get revenge for deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown
- Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot officers in the head on Saturday in Brooklyn at 3pm
- He had travelled 190 miles from Baltimore, Maryland, where he shot his ex
- Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu had been eating in their patrol car
- Brinsley, 28, then ran to subway station where he shot himself in the head
- He had written on Instagram that he would kill 2 cops in revenge for Garner
- Friends of Brinsley have told DailyMail.com he was 'acting strange' in the wake of grand jury trial that refused to indict Eric Garner's police killer
This is the man who shot dead two police officers in a sickening act of revenge for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley, 28, shot his former girlfriend in Baltimore County, Maryland, at 5.45am on Saturday morning then travelled 190 miles to Brooklyn, New York.
There, he fired a fatal round of bullets at recently-married officer Wenjian Liu and father-of-one Rafael Ramos - before turning the gun on himself.
Witnesses said Brinsley walked out of a home with a gun in his hand at 2.47pm, crept up behind the officers' patrol car, and systematically shot both men in the head through the passenger window.
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Attack: This is Ismail Brinsley, 28, who police believe shot dead two NYPD cops in an 'execution style' attack
NYPD officers: The gunman fired a fatal round of bullets at Wenjian Liu (left) and Rafael Ramos (right)
Gun: This photo provided by the New York Police Department shows the weapon used to kill the officers
Tribute: Officers salute as vehicles containing the bodies of two New York Police officers who were shot dead drive by in the Brooklyn borough of New York
He then walked to the Myrtle/Willoughby G train subway station where he shot himself in the head.
It came two hours after he posted a picture of a gun on Instagram with the chilling message: 'I'm Putting Wings On Pigs Today. They Take 1 Of Ours...
'Let's Take 2 of Theirs #ShootThePolice #RIPErivGardner (sic) #RIPMikeBrown. This May Be My Final Post. I'm Putting Pigs In A Blanket.'
Tragically, Baltimore police had tried to apprehend Brinsley by alerting the NYPD after his morning shooting - but by the time a wanted flyer was issued, his attack was already under way.
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Officers Mr Liu and Mr Ramos were stationed in a new precinct on Saturday morning as part of a crime prevention strategy to deal with a recent influx of reports in that area.
Mr Liu, who got married in October, had served four years with the force. Mr Ramos, who had a 13-year-old son and celebrated his 40th birthday on December 12, joined the NYPD in 2012.
Both were taken to Woodhull Medical Center immediately but, within hours, succumbed to their injuries.
One of Brinsley's friends, Awk Smith, spoke to DailyMail.com in Brooklyn - feet away from the crime scene - to describe how Brinsley had been 'acting strange' in the wake of the Eric Garner grand jury trial.
Before: This picture and chilling message was posted on the alleged shooter's page two hours beforehand
Chilling: Brinsley told followers he would be 'putting pigs in a blanket' in apparent revenge for Eric Garner
After: Brinsley posted this image of his blood-stained trousers moments after the attack before killing himself
Father-of-six Garner was killed by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, who arrested him for selling loose cigarettes on the street, then held him in a fatal chokehold.
The killing provoked global outrage, sparked violent protests across the US, and exposed severe racial divisions in New York City.
Mr Smith, who was a member of rap outfit P.Y. Gang with Brinsley, described their recent practises: 'We all noticed he was acting strange... different, it was kind of like he wasn't there when you spoke to him. He wasn't saying very much and he wasn't performing. He had a different kind of passion.'
He was acting strange recently... Like he wasn't there when you spoke to him
Awk Smith, Ismaaiyl Brinsley's friend and fellow rapper
Another member of the group, Paul Yawney, said Brinsley took part in the recent anti-police protests.
Yawney said: ‘He posted motivational stuff on Instagram and went to the protests. I think this really came as a shock to a lot of us. He shot his girlfriend this morning then went to shoot those cops. It's scary to think that's what he was thinking.'
He arrived at his 29-year-old former girlfriend's house in Baltimore County at around 5am on Saturday morning before shooting her in the abdomen.
Detectives are now investigating whether Brinsley was a member of the Black Guerrilla Family (BGF), a large-scale gang in Baltimore that has been responsible for masterminding criminal plots behind bars.
Leaders of the group compiled a 'handbook' that was distributed to members in Baltimore Correctional Center, the Washington Post reported.
Targeted: This is the police car that Brinsley targeted, parked in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn
Panic: Dozens of police officers are gathered looking shaken at Woodhull Medical Center where their two colleagues succumbed to their gunshot wounds. Commissioner Bratton will address reporters at 7pm
Shock: Crowds of cops are lining the scene of the crime where Tompkins Avenue meets Myrtle Avenue
Investigators are also examining Brinsley's Instagram account - which has been suspended from public view - for clues of a motive.
According to NBC, Brinsley - who was armed with a semi-automatic pistol bought in Georgia in 1996 - may have been visiting his child, who is based in Brooklyn.
'THE MAYOR'S HANDS ARE DRIPPING WITH OUR BLOOD': POLICE UNION BLAMES MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO
A statement from the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association said: 'The mayor's hands are literally dripping with our blood because of his words, actions and policies and we have, for the first time in a number of years, become a "wartime" police department. We will act accordingly.'
Bill de Blasio hit back: 'It's unfortunate that in a time of great tragedy, some would resort to the irresponsible, overheated rhetoric that angers and divides people.'
Many of his posts reference Garner, who died in a police chokehold on Staten Island, sparking widespread outrage when a grand jury later decided not to indict anybody over the death.
A police source speaking to the New York Post said the killings resembled 'an execution' in which the attacker started 'pumping bullets' into the officers.
Court documents reveal Brinsley's first recorded arrest was on October 1, 2005, for disorderly conduct in Fulton County, Georgia.
On December 23, 2005, he was arrested and charged with shoplifting, also in Fulton County. In July 2006, he was held on a $3,500 (£2,200) bond for carrying a concealed weapon and shoplifting with a knife.
A year later, Brinsley was booked for trespassing. On June 6, 2011, he was arrested in Cobb, Georgia, for 10 offences including criminal damage and carrying a concealed weapon.
And finally, in June last year, he was arrested for violating probation in Cobb, Georgia. According to NYPD Commissioner William Bratton, Brinsley did not appear to have a fixed abode.
The shooting comes at a time of record tensions between the NYPD and many of the communities in the city.
Fears: Senior members of the NYPD say they have been warning for weeks that the unrest could escalate
Attacks: Officials said police officers are walking around with a balls-eye on their backs in the current climate
Shooting: Officers flooded the street after the shooting. Witnesses says policemen chased down Brinsley
Widespread protests over the death of Garner, and the grand jury's later actions showed huge levels of suspicion and distrust of law enforcement and the justice system.
Last week officers were assaulted on the Brooklyn Bridge, where thousands of demonstrators gathered.
Officers have complained that the citizens, as well as politicians including mayor Bill de Blasio, turned their back on them, while protesters routinely refer to the police as murderers and racists.
He shot his girlfriend this morning then went to shoot those cops. It's scary to think that's what he was thinking
Paul Yawney, fellow rapper
Policemen were seen flooding the streets around the Bedford Stuyvesant neighbourhood where the shooting took place around 3pm on Saturday.
Hundreds of officers lined the driveway at Woodhull Hospital and slowly saluted as two ambulances left with the bodies of Mr Ramos and Mr Liu for the medical examiner's office.
Thousands are blaming the double murder on Mr de Blasio following his recent support for protesters in the city marching in opposition to a grand jury's decision to not indict the police officer who killed Garner.
Hundreds have taken to social media to say that Mr de Blasio has 'blood on his hands' and should 'be charged with murder' after the two men were killed 'execution style' in Brooklyn.
What is more, many feel that Mr de Blasio should not attend the officers' funerals, this after many members of the NYPD signed a petition asking that the Mayor not attend their service should they be killed in the line of duty in light of his recent actions.
Cordon: Officers sealed off the area after the attack in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood
Sealed off: Witnesses uploaded pictures to social media of the street, which was cordoned off
Chaos: The killings follow weeks of tensions between protesters and the NYPD
This as hundreds of NYPD members turned their backs on Mr de Blasio as he entered a news conference on Saturday afternoon.
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik told Newsmax: 'De Blasio, Sharpton and all those who encouraged this anti-cop, racist mentality all have blood on their hands.'
De Blasio, Sharpton and all those who encouraged this anti-cop, racist mentality all have blood on their hands
Bernard Kerik, former New York City Police Commissioner
New York State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis said in a statement: 'It is well past the time for our mayor and citywide leaders to call for a return to order in our streets, and take a hard stance that that lawlessness and aggression towards police officers will not be tolerated.
'Extreme anti-police sentiment and public unruliness have been permitted to fester for far too long.'
A petition for de Blasio's resignation has already amassed more than 5,000 signatures. Harry Houck, a retired NYPD detective, went on CNN to attack both Mr de Blasio and Al Sharpton.
'I guess Al Sharpton got what he wanted,' said Houck of the civil rights leader.
Houck then attacked the Mayor for not supporting the leadership in the police department, saying that he should not show up at the funeral or these two officers.
Furthermore, he said Saturday's killings were inevitable as the protesters wanted to 'take out a cop for Eric Garner'. He then added, 'I've been waiting for something like this to happen.'
Under fire: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has been blamed for failing to condemn anti-police sentiments
Turned away: This video grab shows every police officer turning their back to de Blasio as he walks past
'They were quite literally assassinated': Commissioner William Bratton slammed the attacks at a conference
Mr Sharpton said in a statement: 'I have spoken to the Garner family and we are outraged by the early reports of the police killed in Brooklyn today.
'Any use of the names of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, in connection with any violence or killing of police, is reprehensible and against the pursuit of justice in both cases.
We have stressed at every rally and march that anyone engaged in any violence is an enemy to the pursuit of justice for Eric Garner and Michael Brown
Rev Al Sharpton
'We have stressed at every rally and march that anyone engaged in any violence is an enemy to the pursuit of justice for Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
'We have been criticised at National Action Network for not allowing rhetoric or chanting of violence and would abruptly denounce it at all of our gatherings.
'The Garner family and I have always stressed that we do not believe that all police are bad, In fact we have stressed that most police are not bad.
'We plan to hold a press conference in the morning to express our outrage and our condolences to the families and the police department.'
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