Tyrone Melville, 41, and Jose Maldonado, 26, were both arrested on Wednesday after threatening the New York Police Department.
Six people have been arrested following the execution-style murders of two NYPD officers Dec. 20 by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, a black man allegedly seeking revenge for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Brown was killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., sparking massive protests across the country; and Garner was killed in Staten Island after being put in a chokehold by an NYPD officer. (RELATED: Two NYPD Officers Shot In Execution-Style Shooting)
Melville allegedly called Brooklyn’s 84th Precinct — where murdered officers Rafael Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Liu, 32, worked — and requested to speak to Ramos, asking if the bullets had been removed from his head so “he could kill more cops,” Reuters reports.
Maldonado was arrested for making terrorist threats after threatening to kill police officers on his Facebook page.
The arrests come after multiple investigations were launched following the executions. The NYPD public information office released a statement to Business Insider following the arrests, saying, “All threats against members of the NYPD are taken seriously and are investigated immediately to determine the credibility and origin of the information. So far, we have assessed hundreds of online postings and calls to 911 and 311 that have resulted in about 40 threat investigations, of which about half have been closed or referred to other agencies.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio has faced severe backlash following the killings. NYPD officers appeared to turn their backs on de Blasio as he entered a press conference about the murders. Friends and family shamed the mayor in a press conference for his anti-police rhetoric, former police Commissioner Bernie Kerik described de Blasio as having blood on his hands, and Fox host Bill O’Reilly called for his resignation, saying he “disgraced the officer of the mayor of New York City.”
Rev. Al Sharpton, whose rhetoric was particularly strident during police protests, has also received backlash after the murders. He has reportedly received death threats and is seeking assistance from the FBI.
