The murder of Brian Moore, a New York City police officer, took place on May 2, 2015, in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York, where he was shot. Moore died two days later at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, at the age of 25. His partner, Erik Jansen, was shot at but escaped injury. Demetrius Blackwell was arrested in connection with the shooting, and was formally charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and other charges. On December 19, 2017, Blackwell was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

Brian Moore

Brian Moore (June 30, 1989 – May 4, 2015) was the son of an NYPD Sergeant with whom he lived at the time he was shot. He grew up in

North Massapequa, New York North Massapequa is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Massapequa area, which is an ...

on Long Island and graduated

Plainedge High School Plainedge High School is an American public high school (and the only high school) in the hamlet of North Massapequa, Long Island, New York, and is part of the Plainedge Union Free School District. Plainedge High School's football coach, Robert ...

in 2007. He made over 150 arrests during his five-year career.

Events

On the night of May 2, Moore, who was on duty as a plainclothes officer at the time, and his partner, Erik Jansen, were patrolling

Hollis, Queens Hollis is a residential middle-class neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. While a predominantly African-American community, there are small minorities of Hispanics and South Asians residing in the ...

, a residential neighborhood, when they saw a 35-year-old man, identified as Demetrius Blackwell, adjust his waistband. According to

New York City Police Commissioner The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The commissioner is responsib ...

William Bratton William Joseph Bratton CBE (born October 6, 1947) is an American law enforcement officer and businessman who served two terms as the New York City Police Commissioner (1994–1996 and 2014–2016). He previously served as the Commissioner of th ...

, the officers then told Blackwell to stop, whereupon Blackwell turned and began firing shots into the officers' car. Police said that Blackwell fired at least two rounds into the car. Moore was shot in the head and his partner, Erik Jansen, was uninjured. Moore was killed with a

.38 .38 caliber is a frequently used name for the caliber of firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). Th ...

-caliber

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * '' Bos tauru ...

revolver that police believe was stolen from a shop in

Perry, Georgia Perry is a city in Houston and Peach counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the county seat of Houston County. The population was 13,839 at the 2010 census, up from 9,602 at the 2000 census. As of 2019 the estimated population was 17,894. I ...

, on October 3, 2011.

Legal proceedings

Blackwell was taken into custody on the night of the shooting and charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and attempted murder. According to Bratton, Blackwell had a lengthy arrest record. After Moore died at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, the district attorney of Queens County, Richard A. Brown, said that the charges filed against Blackwell would be elevated to include

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

. On June 11, 2015, Blackwell was indicted on charges of

, first-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault on a police officer, first-degree assault, and weapons possession. He faced a maximum of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if convicted of the first-degree murder charge. A lawyer for Blackwell argued that his client, who struggled for years with seizures from severe epilepsy, had been wrongly identified as Moore’s assailant. On November 9, 2017, Blackwell was found guilty on all counts. On December 19, 2017, Blackwell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Reactions

After Moore's death, Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, said, "Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of police officer Brian Moore. For five years, Brian served with distinction, and he put his life on the line each day to keep us all safe." New York Governor

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cu ...

said, "The shooting of Officer Brian Moore over the weekend was a deplorable act of violence that has robbed New York of one of its finest." On May 5, the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

wore NYPD hats and held a moment of silence before their game against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

that day. In July 2015, the City Council voted to rename an intersection named after him; the street is to be called "Detective 1st Grade Brian Moore Way".

Funeral

Moore's funeral mass was held on May 8, 2015, at St. James Roman Catholic Church in

Seaford, New York Seaford is a township in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 15,294 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of wh ...

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation (stylized as jetBlue) is a major American low cost airline, and the seventh largest airline in North America by passengers carried. The airline is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York C ...

offered free airfare to all police officers traveling to attend the funeral. Thousands of police officers from around the United States attended the mass, where Bratton posthumously promoted Moore to the rank of detective.

References