Two New York police officers were ambushed Saturday by Ismaaiyl Brinsley after he had made threatening posts online, including a vow to put “wings on pigs” and references to high-profile cases of white police officers killing unarmed black men. After shooting the officers, Brinsley ran into a subway station and committed suicide.
The killings of officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos have raised concerns in the already tense nationwide debate surrounding police conduct. Some key developments:
• TRIBUTES, MEMORIAL VISITS: Liu’s distraught mother and widow on Wednesday visited the tented memorial site where the two officers were killed, laying one wreath for each officer, the Daily News reported.
News footage from local media showed NYPD officers escorting the sobbing family members, some shaking and wailing as they left the scene.
Liu and his wife had been married just two months.
On Tuesday night, landmarks including the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree dimmed their lights from 9 to 9:05 p.m. to honor the slain officers.
• AMID CALLS FOR RESTRAINT, PROTESTS GO ON: Despite calls from New York’s governor, the city’s mayor and others calling for restraint, hundreds of protesters marched through midtown Manhattan on Tuesday night, with some holding signs saying “Jail Killer Cops.”
The protesters were mostly peaceful as they wound through the city’s bustling shopping district.
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday called for a pause in protests over police conduct.
• ON HIGH ALERT: Security was increased at some police stationhouses in New York as authorities investigated threats made since the shootings, and at least four people were arrested over threats.
An 18-year-old who posted a threatening message on his Facebook profile was facing charges of terroristic threats and man who walked into a police precinct and suggested he would punch officers was arrested, authorities said. Two Staten Island residents also were arrested in cases related to threats.
Officials said they had assessed hundreds of online postings and calls to emergency lines, initiating about 40 threat probes, with about half of those being closed or referred to other agencies.
Police did not detail the threats that prompted Emergency Services Unit officers to provide additional protection at two precincts in Brooklyn, where Liu and Ramos were slain.
• ONE FUNERAL SCHEDULED: A wake for Ramos will be held Friday at Christ Tabernacle Church in Glendale, Bratton said. The funeral will be held there Saturday. Vice President Joe Biden said he plans to attend.
Liu’s family was waiting for some members to travel to the U.S. from China before deciding on arrangements, Bratton said.
