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Police Commissioner Bill Bratton: The Mayor and I have just come from visiting with the families of our two murdered police officers.

It’s a time of great emotion and great passion. And so, please bear with us as we try to bring some sense to the madness that occurred this afternoon in the streets of Brooklyn. It’s sometimes difficult to find the words to speak to events like those that occurred today, and try to make sense of them – but we’ll try.

Today, two of New York’s Finest were shot and killed, with no warning, no provocation. They were, quite simply, assassinated – targeted for their uniform, and for the responsibility they embraced to keep the people of this city safe.

At approximately 2:47 pm today, Police Office Wenjian Liu and Police Officer Rafael Ramos were assigned to a critical response vehicle – CRVs, as we refer to them – in the confines of the 79 Precinct. While a CRV is traditionally used for counterterrorism operations, this past May, we also assigned some vehicles to housing developments throughout the city – developments that had seen an increase in violence in the early part of the year, like the Tompkins Houses, where the officers were stationed.

While sitting in a marked NYPD police car, in full uniform, both were ambushed and murdered in front of 98 Tompkins Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York City. Both officers are assigned to the 84 Precinct, but were posted at this location as part of a department crime reduction strategy to address complaints of violence in the area of the housing developments in that area.

Officer Ramos was in the driver’s seat, and Officer Liu was in the front passenger seat beside him. According to witness statements, the suspect, who has been identified as 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, walked up to the police car. He took a shooting stance on the passenger side and fired the weapon – his weapon – several times through the front passenger window, striking both officers in the head.

Officer Liu and Officer Ramos never had the opportunity to draw their weapons. They may never have actually even seen their assailant – their murderer.

Other officers, who were also assigned to the CRV post, immediately pursued Brinsley southbound on Tompkins Avenue. Brinsley then turned westbound on Myrtle Avenue and fled into the Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Street – the G train subway station. He proceeded down the stairs onto the westbound subway platform. While on the platform, Brinsley shot himself in the head – took his own life. A silver semi-automatic [inaudible] firearm was recovered on the subway platform near the suspect’s body. Officers Liu and Ramos were transported here, to Woodhill – Woodhull Hospital. Despite every effort to save their lives, both officers tragically succumbed to their injuries.

On behalf of the New York City Police Department, I extend my deepest condolences to the Liu and the Ramos families, and the families within the NYPD. Both officers paid the ultimate sacrifice today while protecting the communities they serve. The suspect was transported to Brooklyn Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

We are currently continuing to investigate this incident. I want to thank, at this time, Dr. Raju and his trauma staff for their valiant efforts – but unsuccessful efforts – to resuscitate our officers.

Some background information relative to the events leading up to the murder of our two officers today – at approximately 5:45 this morning, in Baltimore County, Maryland, a female, believed to be Brinsley’s former girlfriend, was shot and seriously wounded by Brinsley at her residence. Baltimore County detectives later received information from the victim’s mother that Brinsley was posting on the victim’s instagram account. Further information was developed indicating that Brinsley may have had associations with the East Flatbush area of Brooklyn. At approximately 2:45 this afternoon, Baltimore authorities sent a fax – a warning flyer, a wanted flyer – to the NYPD and other agencies.

Tragically, this was essentially at the same time as our officers were being ambushed and murdered by Brinsley. Tragically too, this is not the first time this department has seen such violence. Seven times since 1972, we have seen partners murdered together, often in incidents such as this – mindless assassinations without warning. Our officers know this, from memorial walls on our precincts and headquarters, and from the stories they hand down. Nevertheless, they do what we expect of them. They grieve, they mourn, but then they go out on the streets of this city and work to keep it safe, every day and every night. We have never, and never will, forget that mission. We will never forget the two young men who lost their lives today.

Mr. Mayor?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you, commissioner. Our city is in mourning. Our hearts are heavy. We lost two good men who devoted their lives to protecting all of us. Officer Ramos, Officer Liu died in the line of duty, protecting the city they loved. Our hearts go out to their families, to their comrades in arms at the 84 Precinct, to the larger family of the NYPD. We honor the EMTs, the doctors, the nurses, everyone at Woodhull who tried valiantly to save their lives and couldn’t. I want to thank everyone who came here today to support these families that are in such pain right now. All the leadership of the NYPD, the elected officials who are here – I thank them for coming here in solidarity with these grieving families and our police department. Although we are still learning the details, it’s clear that this was an assassination – that these officers were shot, execution-style – particularly despicable act, which goes at the very heart of our society and our democracy. 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. We depend on our police to protect us against forces of criminality and evil. They are a foundation of our society, and when they are attacked, it is an attack on the very concept of decency. Therefore, every New Yorker should feel they, too, were attacked. Our entire city was attacked by this heinous individual.

Even though the assailant took his own life, we’ll be vigilant for any information about anyone else who might be involved. And this is a point to make clear to all my fellow New Yorkers – that any time anyone has information that there might be an attack on our police, there might be an act of violence directed at any police officer, it is imperative that that be reported immediately. You heard the commissioner outline the tragic timeline, but anybody who sees a posting on the internet or any other indication of an intention to attack the police must report it immediately. Call 9-1-1. Report it to a police officer. But whatever the situation, that information must get into the hands of the police immediately, so we can protect the lives of our police officers and, in fact, of all of us, since they protect us.

There is a sadness that is very, very hard to describe. Commissioner Bratton has felt it many times. I have felt it many times. We met the family members. We met the parents of Officer Liu, the woman he recently married. We met the wife of Officer Ramos. We met his 13-year-old son, who couldn’t comprehend what had happened to his father. And with other public servants, and with leaders of this police department, we prayed over the bodies of these two officers. And I ask that all New Yorkers pray for them, pray for their families. It’s a moment of terrible loss and it’s a moment when we must all come together to support these families, to support healing, and to be thankful that there are heroes among us, like Officer Ramos and Officer Liu.

(YWN Desk – NYC)