TEMPO.CO, New York - US President Barack Obama condemned Sunday the killing of two New York police officers by a man who then committed suicide in nearby subway station."I unconditionally condemn today's murder of two police officers in New York City," said Obama in his Christmas holiday in Hawaii.
The killed officers were Rafael Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Liu, 32. “They were ambushed and fatally shot in their marked police patrol car by a 28-year-old man named Ismaaiyl Brinsley,” said William Bratton, the commissioner for the New York Police Department.
Reports said the shooter, Brisnley, was apparently seeking revenge for the death of an unarmed black man during an arrest attempt. Al Jazeera's reporter John Terrett said that Brinsley had posted "very vicious, anti-police messages" on social media before the attack.
Eric Holder, the US attorney general, promised the support of the Justice Department throughout the investigation. Separately, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio added, "Although we're still learning the details, it's clear that this was an assassination, that these officers were shot execution style."
AL JAZEERA | CHOIRUL
