Yankees to pay for the education of Children of Slain NYPD Cop Rafael Ramos

Two NYPD officers were gunned down over the weekend by a mentally ill man who posted his movements to Instagram. New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was a long time supporter of the New York Police Department. Steinbrenner died in 2010, but his support of families for officers who died in the line of duty continues.

For 32 years, Steinbrenner’s Yankee Silver Shield Foundation has provided for the education of the children of New York City police officers, firemen and Port Authority employees who died in the line of duty, and will do so for the family of NYPD officer Rafael Ramos, gunned down Saturday along with his partner, Wenjian Liu.

The foundation will pay for the education of Ramos’ son, 13-year-old Jaden, and another son who is in college.

Liu, who was recently married, had no children.

Steinbrenner started his foundation in 1982 after seeing a news account of four children flanking their mother and folding an American flag at the funeral of their father, an NYPD officer who had been killed in the line of duty.

On Saturday while Ramos and Liu were sitting in their patrol car, 28 year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley walked up to the car and shot the officers execution style. Brinsley reported had driven from Baltimore where he had shot his 29-year-old ex-girlfriend in the stomach.

Shortly before the shooting, Instagram user “dontrunup” posted a photo of a silver handgun with wooden grips and the caption: “I’m putting wings on pigs today. They take 1 of ours … Let’s take 2 of theirs. #shootthepolice #ripericgardner #ripmikebrown This may be my final post … I’m putting pigs in a blanket.”

Police said they found a silver handgun by the body of Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, who died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in a subway station after running from the scene where Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot in their parked patrol car Saturday afternoon.

This was horrible. This isn’t what the protests intended to cause. I hope that the actions of this individual are looked at the actions of a sick person, and not a representation of thousands that have protested without violence.