(Tribune Content Agency) — An Air Force reservist with the Fort Bragg, N.C.-based 440th Airlift Wing was shot by the man who police say later ambushed two New York City police officers during the weekend, according to investigators.
Staff Sgt. Shaneka Thompson, a medical administrator with the Pope Field Reserve unit, is the ex-girlfriend of the suspect. She was shot in her Maryland apartment building just hours before the officers were murdered in Brooklyn, police say.
Thompson is expected to survive, police said.
Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, is the man who police say killed the two officers in New York City before shooting himself.
The Baltimore County Police Department is investigating Thompson's shooting.
"We've been in contact with her and her family to see if there's anything we can do to provide support," said Maj. Lisa Ray, a spokeswoman for the 440th Airlift Wing. "She's going through a lot right now. She's focused on her healing."
Thompson, 29, of Franklin, Md., was shot in the abdomen with a 9-mm semiautomatic handgun. She remains in critical but stable condition Monday, according to police.
The shooting occurred just before 6 a.m. Saturday. Two of Thompson's neighbors heard a loud noise and called 911, police said.
Police think that Brinsley stole Thompson's cell phone after shooting her. This is the cell phone that detectives used to track Brinsley as he traveled to New York, police said.
Around 1:30 p.m., a friend of Thompson's notified police about Instagram posts thought to have been made by Brinsley. The posts included threats to kill police officers.
Around 2:10 p.m., Baltimore County police called New York police to alert them of Brinsley.
The cell phone was pinging at a location in the 70th precinct, police said.
At that time, Baltimore County police faxed a "Wanted" poster to NYPD with information about Brinsley, police said.
Shortly after, two NYPD officers — Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu — were fatally shot in Brooklyn at about 3 p.m.
Baltimore County police are continuing to investigate.
©2014 The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
No comments:
Post a Comment