Two NYPD officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, were shot and killed while sitting in their patrol car. With the Ferguson dispute currently at hand, this assassination is stirring up significant controversy. At the funeral of Rafael Ramos, the NYPD physically turned its back to Mayor de Blasio out of utter disrespect and disgust.

Public officials have declared that the ambuscade in Brooklyn on December 20th, was a targeted attack, according to an article on the Wall Street Journal. The killer was specifically aiming for police officers in a supposed vengeance for the Eric Garner and Michael Brown killings.

Police Commissioner William Bratton stated,“They were quite simply assassinated, targeted for their uniform.”

Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who is the declared gunman, was chased by police after his attack and soon after he committed suicide. The controversy is the idea that Brinsley carried out such an awful act as a retaliation for prior disputed behavior in Ferguson, Missouri.

He allegedly referenced the killings in Missouri on his social media. The inhumane act struck everyone by surprise and is extremely disheartening. A man working in a nearby deli, Khalid Nadi, was shocked and appalled at the attack.

“I heard, ‘boom, boom, boom,’” Nadi explained. Then he said Brinsley took off.

Resulting from the recent shooting, there have been increased tensions between police officers in New York and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Tensions were already high since the protesting started regarding the Brown and Garner cases.

At the funeral of Wenjian Liu as well as the funeral of Rafael Ramos, NYPD officers actually turned their backs to Mayor de Blasio as he spoke to show their loathing. All eyes are on de Blasio to see if he will be able to resolve the issues at hand between himself and the NYPD officers.

“Words alone won’t heal the wounds,” said  Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association.

As stated in another article from the Wall Street Journal about the Mayor relations with the NYPD, de Blasio asked for “mutual understanding,” regarding the division of the city. The cops are unforgiving and, according to an article from Reuters, see de Blasio’s “anti-police policies” as the reason for the death of Ramos and Liu.

When the Mayor campaigned last year, he talked spoke against the current seemingly excessive stop-and-frisk policy that had been in place for twelve years and was working great, reducing crimes by the thousands. De Blasio eventually got rid of the policy and the NYPD felt disrespected. The tensions continue to grow as the conflict remains unresolved.