De Blasio, Bratton Urge Protesters to 'Stand Down' for Slain Officers
Monday, December 22, 2014
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- Police are asking for help determining shooter Ishmaaiyl Brinsley in the hours before he fatally shot two NYPD officers. (NYPD)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton are asking protesters to “stand down” until the two police officers fatally shot on Saturday are laid to rest.
Speaking at One Police Plaza on Monday, de Blasio said the focus now should be on the families of officers Rafael Ramos and Weinjin Liu. Bratton announced that the city’s five police unions had also agreed to halt any demonstrations.
A viewing for Ramos will be held on Friday, a day after Christmas, in Glendale, Queens. Funeral services will be held the following day. De Blasio said the federal government is assisting Liu’s family in bringing their relatives from China to the U.S. and his services will be scheduled at a later date.
Meanwhile, police are working to piece together the details of the gunman’s whereabouts in the hours before he shot and killed the officers in their patrol car in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Police released a short video of Ismaaiyl Brinsley, at Atlantic Terminal mall in Brooklyn at about noon Saturday, and want to hear from anyone who saw him there before the shootings, which occurred about two hours later.
Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said law enforcement agencies across the country, including the FBI, are working with the NYPD to fill in the details about Brinsley’s whereabouts on Saturday, as well as during the past few weeks. He said the reason is to confirm that no one else was involved in the shooting, but also to help bring solace to the families of the slain men.
"We owe it to them to find out exactly what happened," Boyce said.
Police also released a photo of a jacket similar to the one Brinsley was wearing on Saturday.
Boyce said police are currently investigating more than 100 images posted to Brinsley’s Instagram which Boyce said show despair and anti-government sentiments. They’re also reviewing thousands of images and videos on his cell phone, including a demonstration in Union Square earlier this month.
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ANNMARIE FERTOLI
Annmarie Fertoli is an Associate Producer at WNYC, working with the afternoon news team to produce All Things Considered.
ROBERT LEWIS, Reporter, WNYC News
Robert Lewis is a reporter for WNYC. He joined the station in December 2012 after a decade as an ink-stained wretch, working for newspapers across the country. He was previously on the investigations team at Newsday where he reported on prescription drug abuse, problems at a local housing authority and the Long Island Power Authority.
