Many Identities Of New York Officers' Killer Fueled A Life Of Wrong Turns

The Man Who Murdered Two Officers, Then Himself
This 2009 booking photo provided by the Springfield, Ohio Police Department shows Ismaaiyl Brinsley after an arrest on a felony robbery charge. Authorities say Brinsley ambushed two New York City police officers in their patrol car in broad daylight Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014, fatally shooting them before killing himself inside a subway station. (AP Photo/Springfield, Ohio Police Department)
This 2009 booking photo provided by the Springfield, Ohio Police Department shows Ismaaiyl Brinsley after an arrest on a felony robbery charge. Authorities say Brinsley ambushed two New York City police officers in their patrol car in broad daylight Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014, fatally shooting them before killing himself inside a subway station. (AP Photo/Springfield, Ohio Police Department)

His entire life, Ismaaiyl Brinsley tried on identities as if they were new clothes. He was a bad boy with a gun, a fashionable man in Gucci and Cartier, a T-shirt maker, a film director, a screenwriter, a devout Muslim, a rap producer.

He had a nickname for every mood — Moses, Interstate, Palace, Gazava, Scorpio King, Bleau Barracuda. Online, he seemed to be screaming at people to pay attention. “Welcome To Greatness,” proclaimed a photo album on his Facebook page.

In reality, Mr. Brinsley’s short life was a series of disappointments.

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