NEW YORK – A police union says the men and women of New York City’s finest are now “declaring war” on Mayor Bill de Blasio following a pair of shootings targeting officers in the Bronx over the weekend.
The fiery words directed at the Big Apple’s Democrat leader comes as the NYPD booked Robert Williams for both attacks.
“Mayor De Blasio, the members of the NYPD are declaring war on you!” the Sergeants Benevolent Association wrote in a tweet. “We do not respect you, DO NOT visit us in hospitals. You sold the NYPD to the vile creatures, the 1% who hate cops but vote for you.
“NYPD cops have been assassinated because of you,” the tweet added. “This isn’t over, Game on!”
Mayor DeBlasio, the members of the NYPD are declaring war on you! We do not respect you, DO NOT visit us in hospitals. You sold the NYPD to the vile creatures, the 1% who hate cops but vote for you. NYPD cops have been assassinated because of you. This isn’t over, Game on! https://t.co/XyruPraM9T
— SBA (@SBANYPD) February 9, 2020
According to law enforcement authorities, Williams first ambushed two officers from the 41st Precinct on Saturday night, who had been sitting in a marked patrol van. One officer was wounded as a result of that attack when a bullet grazed his chin and neck.
Williams then walked into the precinct’s station house the next morning and opened fire with a 9mm handgun, injuring a lieutenant, police added. Only after running out of bullets did the 45-year-old Bronx native lay down on the ground and surrender, Fox News reported.
Both officers wounded in the attacks have been treated and released from locals hospitals.
Cops once again packed the plaza in front of Lincoln Hospital to send 41 Pct. Lt. Jose Gautreaux home to recover. Thanks to the quick heroics of Lt. Gautreaux and other 41 Pct. MOS, the would-be cop-killer is in custody and will be arraigned today. #EnoughIsEnough pic.twitter.com/R8WFJGR9X1
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) February 10, 2020
Williams, meanwhile, has been charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest, according to the report.
De Blasio’s office ripped Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins on Monday, telling Fox News that his “comments are absolutely reprehensible.
“He clearly has forgotten his oath to protect and serve,” spokesperson Freddi Goldstein said. “While he threatens violence, the mayor remains focused on the safety of our officers and communities.”
NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan also took a swipe at Mullins, telling Pix 11 in an interview that “none of the other unions follow his lead.
“The men and women that are out on the street right now, they care about keeping people safe. They care about keeping themselves safe,” Monahan added. “And that’s what this is about. This isn’t politics. This isn’t grandstanding.”
De Blasio hailed the “heroism and extraordinary skill” of the NYPD’s officers for de-escalating the situation.
“This vicious assassination attempt is the second one we’ve seen in 24 hours — and an attack on our NYPD officers is an attack on ALL New Yorkers,” he said. “This despicable hatred is an attempt to divide our city and undermine our safety. We cannot and will not let that happen.”
The charges filed against Williams add to his already lengthy rap sheet, which the NYPD tells Fox News includes prior arrests dating back to 1994 for crimes such as robbery and criminal trespass.
Moreover, Commissioner Dermot Shea said Sunday that Williams also had been paroled in 2017 after an attempted murder conviction in 2002.
In that incident, Williams shot a 23-year-old man several times in the back and leg before carjacking a 30-year-old woman’s vehicle, the NYPD tells Fox News. His bid to escape came to an end when he crashed the car and traded gunfire with New York City police officers, Shea noted.
Williams has an arraignment hearing in Bronx Criminal Court for the latest incidents Monday afternoon.
“It is a double miracle that we are not preparing for two funerals right now,” New York City Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said in a statement following the weekend shootings. “These targeted attacks are exactly what we have warned against, again and again. The hatred and violence directed at cops continues to grow.”
Police say Robert Williams first ambushed two officers from the 41st Precinct on Saturday night, who had been sitting in a marked patrol van. (NYPD)
The motive for this past weekend’s shootings is unclear, but Shea on Sunday criticized criminal justice reform activists who have demonstrated in recent months against excessive force by police, including a large protest in Grand Central Terminal. The protests, he suggested, helped create an anti-police environment.
“These things are not unrelated. We had people marching through the streets of New York City recently,” Shea said. “Words matter. And words affect people’s behavior.”
President Trump is 100% correct. NYS & NYC need the support of the Department of Justice. Criminals are being released, it’s time we prosecute in Federal Court. The Mayor is ruining NYC, cops have been stopped from doing their jobs. NYC is under siege. Send in the Feds https://t.co/OuOtwG5h7H
— SBA (@SBANYPD) February 9, 2020
De Blasio, who won office partly on a promise to reform policing of minority communities, also suggested that anti-police sentiment had gotten out of hand, Fox reported.
“Anyone who spews hatred at our officers is aiding and abetting this kind of atmosphere; it is not acceptable,” he said. “You could protest for whatever you believe in, but you cannot vilely attack those who are here to protect us. It creates this kind of dynamic.”
