NYC police union 'declaring war' on Mayor Bill de Blasio after police shootings

The Sergeants Benevolent Association, a large police union in New York City, declared "war" on Mayor Bill de Blasio, blaming his policies for two recent police shootings, according to Fox News.

Suspect Robert Williams, over the course of two days, ambushed two police officers in a parked vehicle — wounding one — and opened fire at the 41st Precinct station the next day, injuring another officer. Both survived, and Williams was arrested.

"Mayor DeBlasio, the members of the NYPD are declaring war on you!" read a tweet on the SBA Twitter page, in response to a statement from de Blasio about the shootings. "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!"

That ominous statement does not reflect the opinion of every NYPD officer, however. Chief of Department Terence Monahan said "none of the other unions" follow the lead of SBA President Ed Mullins, and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea called the tweet "inappropriate."

"The men and women that are out on the street right now, they care about keeping people safe," Monahan told WPIX-TV. "They care about keeping themselves safe. And that's what this is about. This isn't politics. This isn't grandstanding."

"When you see a tweet like that, I think it's wrong," Shea said. "I think [SBA President] Ed Mullins should think before he tweets something like that because it's not helpful. It's not helpful to where we're going and when you look at what the mayor does for this city, he's been extremely supportive of the NYPD.

"That's not the voice of the NYPD," Shea said. "One hundred percent misrepresented."

De Blasio said Mullins should face consequences for his divisive remarks.

"I have to say it's sad when someone feels they can be openly divisive and get away with it," de Blasio told reporters in Albany, the New York Post reported.