BOSTON — Two Boston city councilors publicly refused to let the city downplay Wednesday night's cop-shooter attack on Blue Hill Avenue, with Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy calling out the softened language in the coverage and Councilor Ed Flynn calling out the elected officials who stayed silent.

Two Boston police officers had pulled a driver over at Normandy Street and Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester at about 9:12 p.m. Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on their cruiser. The rounds struck the windshield. Neither officer was hit. The suspect was taken into custody shortly after and a firearm was recovered at the scene.

Murphy went first — posting to Facebook just hours after the attack — and went after the softening of the language.

"Stop downplaying violent crime. Say what happened. Stop normalizing violence against our police officers. Enough is enough," Murphy wrote.

She included a graphic that took the softening head-on: "Let's say what really happened. An armed criminal shot at Boston police officers and struck a police cruiser. Where are we as a society when the first headline I read only said that someone 'shot in the direction of police officers' instead of plainly stating what occurred? We should be outraged that someone opened fire on police officers, not downplay such a dangerous and violent act."

The post drew nearly 600 likes and dozens of shares within its first six hours.

Councilor Ed Flynn — who represents District 2, covering South Boston, the South End, Chinatown and downtown — followed with his own post, aimed squarely at elected officials.

"Last night, Boston Police Officers were shot at. Their cruiser was struck by gunfire. We are thankful that no police officers were seriously injured or worse. Violence against police officers is never acceptable," Flynn wrote. "Elected officials (and the public) can't remain silent and pretend we don't have a problem. We must address this escalating violence against police officers and the dangerous rhetoric we frequently hear as well."

Flynn closed with a line pointed at his own colleagues: "When elected officials don't respect or support police officers or their families, it is clearly noticeable to the public. We must consistently stand with the men and women of the BPD, especially during these challenging times in Boston."

He tagged the Boston Police Department, the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, the Detectives Union, and the Superior Officers Federation.

Wednesday's cop-shooter attack is not the first time either councilor has warned that Boston's political and public discourse is falling behind the reality on the streets. It is the first time both of them said, on the same day, that the city needs to say plainly what is happening — and that the elected class needs to speak up.