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Killing of Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu

SOLVED2014Myrtle Avenue and Tompkins Avenue, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · suicide · domestic violence — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On December 20, 2014, NYPD officers Rafael Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Liu, 32, were shot and killed while sitting in their patrol car at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Tompkins Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The gunman, Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley, approached the passenger-side window of the vehicle and fired a semiautomatic handgun four times, striking both officers in the head and upper body and killing them instantly. Both officers, along with Brinsley, were later pronounced dead at Woodhull Hospital.

Earlier that same day, at approximately 5:50 a.m., Brinsley had shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Shaneka Thompson, in Owings Mills, Maryland, before fleeing the scene. He then traveled by bus to Manhattan, and around 12:20 p.m. used Thompson's phone to post threats on social media stating his intent to kill police officers in retribution for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Baltimore County Police alerted the NYPD's 70th Precinct about the threats, but a bulletin describing Brinsley was received only after the shooting had already occurred. After the shooting, responding officers pursued Brinsley into the New York City Subway, where he fatally shot himself at the Myrtle–Willoughby Avenues station.

The killings occurred amid nationwide protests following grand jury decisions not to indict the officers involved in the deaths of Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Brinsley's attack was reported to have been motivated by outrage over these cases.

Rafael Ramos, a married father of two from Glendale, Queens, had joined the NYPD as a school safety agent before being promoted to officer in 2012 and was active in his church. Wenjian Liu, a seven-year NYPD veteran who had married Peixia Chen two months earlier, was the only son of Chinese immigrants. A joint funeral for both officers was held on December 27, 2014, drawing more than 100,000 attendees, including Vice President Joe Biden; some officers turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio during his eulogy. Liu's semen was preserved posthumously at his widow's request, and she later gave birth to their daughter via artificial insemination in 2017.

The shootings drew wide public reaction, including statements from President Barack Obama condemning the killings and statements from police union officials blaming political leaders and protesters for contributing to an atmosphere of hostility toward police. In the aftermath, six people were arrested for making terrorist threats against NYPD officers, and a police union directive led to changes in patrol procedures. In a related but separate 2015 incident, NYPD officers Angelo Pampena and Robert Carbone were charged with assaulting Karim Baker, a mail carrier who had unknowingly given Brinsley directions before the shooting; the officers were acquitted in 2017, though Baker's civil lawsuit was later settled for $1.5 million.

Streets in the officers' home neighborhoods were co-named in their honor in 2015, and schools were later renamed for each officer in 2024.

Key facts

Victims
Wenjian Liu, Shaneka Thompson, Rafael Ramos
Date
2014
Location
Myrtle Avenue and Tompkins Avenue, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2014-07-17

    Eric Garner dies during an arrest by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, an event later cited as a motivating factor for the attack.

  2. 2014-08-09

    Michael Brown is fatally shot by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri.

  3. 2014-12-20

    Brinsley shoots and wounds ex-girlfriend Shaneka Thompson in Owings Mills, Maryland, around 5:50 a.m.

  4. 2014-12-20

    Brinsley posts threats against police on social media around 12:20 p.m. using Thompson's phone.

  5. 2014-12-20

    Baltimore County Police contact the NYPD's 70th Precinct about Brinsley's threats at 2:10 p.m.

  6. 2014-12-20

    Brinsley shoots and kills Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in their patrol car in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

  7. 2014-12-20

    Brinsley fatally shoots himself at the Myrtle–Willoughby Avenues subway station after fleeing the scene.

  8. 2014-12-27

    A joint funeral service for Ramos and Liu is held in Glendale, Queens, attended by over 100,000 people.

  9. 2015-01-03

    A wake for Wenjian Liu is held, incorporating Chinese and Buddhist rituals.

  10. 2015-01-04

    A funeral service for Liu is held in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.

  11. 2015-02

    New York City Council passes a bill co-naming streets in honor of Ramos and Liu.

  12. 2015-06

    Street-naming ceremonies for Detective Wenjian Liu Way and Detective Rafael L. Ramos Way are held.

  13. 2016-04

    Officers Angelo Pampena and Robert Carbone are charged in connection with the alleged retaliatory beating of Karim Baker.

  14. 2017-03

    Pampena and Carbone are found not guilty of all charges related to the Baker beating.

  15. 2017-07

    Peixia Chen, Liu's widow, gives birth to their daughter, Angelina, conceived via posthumously preserved sperm.

  16. 2019-10

    Karim Baker's civil lawsuit against the officers is settled for $1.5 million.

  17. 2024-05

    P.S. 331 in Dyker Heights is renamed the Detective Wenjian Liu School of Civics and Entrepreneurship.

  18. 2024-09

    P.S. 54 in Bedford-Stuyvesant is renamed the Detective Rafael Ramos School.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Angelo Pampena

    ACQUITTED

    NYPD officer charged with the retaliatory beating of Karim Baker; found not guilty of all charges in March 2017.

    citation on file

  • Wenjian Liu

    VICTIM

    NYPD officer shot and killed by Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley on December 20, 2014.

    citation on file

  • Shaneka Thompson

    VICTIM

    Shot and wounded by Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley hours before he killed Ramos and Liu.

    citation on file

  • Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley

    CHARGED

    Identified as the perpetrator who shot and killed Officers Ramos and Liu and wounded Shaneka Thompson; died by suicide before any prosecution occurred.

    citation on file

  • Rafael Ramos

    VICTIM

    NYPD officer shot and killed by Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley on December 20, 2014.

    citation on file

  • Robert Carbone

    ACQUITTED

    NYPD officer charged with the retaliatory beating of Karim Baker; found not guilty of all charges in March 2017.

    citation on file

Places

Myrtle Avenue and Tompkins Avenue, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

40.6959, -73.9465

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On December 20, 2014, NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot and killed by Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley while sitting in their patrol car in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Brinsley fled into the subway and killed himself; earlier that day he had shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend in Baltimore.
Where did the killing happen?
Myrtle Avenue and Tompkins Avenue, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Killing of Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liuwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — New York Postnews · New York Post · 2026-07-07
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