The man who killed two NYPD officers before committing suicide in Brooklyn on Saturday told two pedestrians "Watch what I'm going to do" prior to the murders, police say.
According to the Associated Press, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, also told people on the street to follow him on Instagram before killing officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu as they sat in their police cruiser. These details were revealed during a press conference by NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce, who added that the Brooklyn native's mother was convinced her son was mentally ill. Per the Associated Press, police are still working to confirm this.
The Associated Press also reports that Brinsley had a lengthy rap sheet:
Brinsley, 28, had at least 19 arrests in Georgia and Ohio, spent two years in prison for gun possession and had a troubled childhood so violent that his mother was afraid of him, police said. He ranted online about police and the government and expressed self-despair and anger at himself and where his life was, Boyce said.
Prior to killing Ramos and Liu, Brinsley reportedly injured an ex-girlfriend after shooting her at her home outside of Baltimore.
[via Associated Press and CBS New York]
