Black-white divide takes an ugly turn – black man kills two non-black police officers in New York

#NYPDOfficers #Brooklyn #blacklivesmatter A black gunman 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley has shot two NYPD Officers in Brooklyn – the two officers are Liu Wenjin and Raphael Ramos. They were Asian and Hispanic respectively. The officers were killed while they were on patrol in Brooklyn and the NYPD police chief has said that they were "targeted for their uniform".
Before shooting them, the gunman had indicated on social media that he planned to kill police in retaliation for the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died when white officers tried to arrest him for selling cigarettes in New York and Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, in Ferguson, Missouri.
The grand jury did not indict any of the two police officers involved in the killings and Ismaaiyl Brinsley decided to carry out revenge killings.
After killing the officers in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area, the gunman ran into a subway station where he shot himself. US President Barack Obama, who is currently on holiday in Hawaii, has strongly condemned the killings of the two NYPD officers.
As per reports it seems Brinsley approached the passenger window of a marked police car and opened fire, striking the Officers in the head. The officers were on special patrol doing crime reduction work in the area of Brooklyn. Incidentally, Brinsley had a history of arrests in Georgia for robbery, disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon and his last-known address was in Georgia, but he had some sort of ties to Brooklyn.

Sydney siege ends with death of three, including the gunman

#sydneysiege The siege in Lindt café in Sydney ended after 6-hours and the gunman was killed apart from three others – they were a mother-of-three and the manager of the café in Martin Place. Four others were wounded, among them was a police officer who was shot in the face.
The police descended only after they heard a number of gunshots from inside because it was felt that if they did not intervene directly, many lives would be lost.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has offered his sympathy to their families. He has said that the perpetrator of this crime was well known to state and commonwealth authorities and had a long history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability.
The manager 34-year-old Tori Johnson was shot dead after he tried to wrest the gun from the gunman, self-described Muslim cleric Man Haron Monis inside the Lindt café – the incident happened at around 2am local time.
The woman killed was 38-year-old Katrina Dawson – she was a mother of three young children and a barrister at Eight Selborne Chambers in Sydney's Phillip Street located opposite the café. She succumbed to her injuries in hospital after being held hostage for more than 16 hours.

Gunman in Sydney siege identified as an Iranian refugee

#Sydneysiege The identity of the gunman who is holding people hostage in a café in Sydney is now known, he has been identified as an Iranian refugee who has been in Australia since 1996 under political asylum – he is supposed to be a lawyer by profession.
He is Man Haron Monis and is on bail facing a number of charges. These include for being an accessory to the murder of his former wife and he is also facing more than 40 sexual and indecent assault charges. In addition, he has earlier been convicted for sending offensive letters to the families of deceased Australian soldiers.
The police of Central Sydney are in negotiations with the gunman and the area is in lock down around the café – it is understood that some hostages have managed to escape.
As per reports, a black Islamic flag was displayed at the window and the gunman made use of three of the hostages to pass on demands – they were made to stand beside a black flag and make statements to a camera.
The exact number of hostages inside the Lindt café in Martin Place is not clear. The building is located in a busy shopping area in Sydney's financial district.
The incident broke in the morning and, as night fell, the gunman switched off the lights inside.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has expressed profound shock that people were being "held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation".