Police identified the man as Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley, 28. Baltimore County and New York City police confirmed the link between the Owings Mills and New York shootings. New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton spoke at a news conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio. He identified the two officers killed in Brooklyn as Wenjin Liu and Raphael Ramos. He said they were shot without warning or provocation. They were, quite simply, assassinated -- targeted for their uniform. ... They were ambushed and murdered, said Bratton, who looked pale and shaken at a hospital news conference. Bratton said the suspect shot his ex-girlfriend earlier Saturday in the Baltimore area. Baltimore County police detectives recovered a round from the gun used to shoot Shaneka Thompson, 29, in Owings Mills and believe it is the same gun used to kill the police officers. Police said Brinsley stole his ex-girlfriends phone and posted chilling images from her Instagram account. Baltimore County police said they learned of Instagram threats against police by Brinsley at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Baltimore County police said they tracked the phone Brinsley was using, and they called the 70th precinct in New York, advising NYPD that the phone of a suspect wanted for a shooting in Owings Mills was pinging at a location in the 70th precinct. NYPD and Baltimore County police discussed the threatening Instagram posts during that phone call. Also around 2:45 p.m., Baltimore County police faxed a wanted poster to NYPD with information about the suspect. Around 2:50 p.m., Baltimore County police sent a teletype with the same information contained in the flier to NYPDs real-time crime center. The officers were shot around 3 p.m. Brinsley wrote on an Instagram account: Im putting wings on pigs today. They take 1 of ours, lets take 2 of theirs, officials said. He used the hashtags Shootthepolice RIPErivGardner (sic) RIPMikeBrown. The Rev. Al Sharpton said the family of Garner, killed by a police chokehold this year, had no connection to the suspect and denounced the violence. 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, Sharpton said. 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. Police said Brinsley ran into a nearby subway station and committed suicide. This may be my final post, he wrote in the Instagram post that included an image of a silver handgun. Criminal records show Brinsley has a history of arrests on various charges in Georgia, including robbery, shoplifting, carrying a concealed weapon, disorderly conduct and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. Bratton said his last-known address was Georgia, but he had some ties in Brooklyn. There is no indication of prior criminal activity by Brinsley in Maryland, detectives said, nor is there any confirmation of gang affiliation.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 16:53:47 +0000
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