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NYPD In Mourning Over Deaths Of Officers Rafael Ramos, Wenjian Liu

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Flags are flying at half-staff at the New York Police Department's 84th precinct in Downtown Brooklyn after two officers were gunned down Saturday afternoon while on duty.

The two officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, were shot dead as they sat in their marked patrol car at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Tompkins Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

GALLERY: Comm. Bratton, Mayor De Blasio Give Remarks After 2 NYPD Officers Gunned Down

Officer Ramos had just celebrated his 40th birthday on Dec. 12. As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, Ramos had previously been a school safety officer with the NYPD. He would have been with the force three years this January.

Those who knew him said he loved being stationed with the 84th precinct, Carlin reported.

Ramos leaves behind a wife and 13-year-old son.

"We met the wife of Officer Ramos, we met his 13-year-old son who couldn't comprehend what happened to his father," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday.

Officer Liu, 32, was married just two months ago and is a seven-year veteran of the force.

"This is not easy at all and we've been through this too many times over the years. You always hope you're never going to experience it again," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said at a news conference Saturday night.

At the news conference, de Blasio said it was imperative that anyone with any knowledge of possible attacks against law enforcement immediately report it to authorities.

The suspect, 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, ran into a nearby subway station where he shot himself in the head. He was taken to Kings County Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Bratton said Brinsley had made online posts that were "very anti-police."

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