A New York City police (NYPD) officer in his plainclothes had been seriously injured when he was shot in the head on Saturday while attempting to question a man suspected of carrying a gun from his cruiser. A suspect has been arrested and is in custody, according to authorities.
The officer has been identified by police as Brian Moore, 25, and had undergone surgery at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center about four hours after the shooting on Saturday night.
Officer Brian Moore and his partner, Erik Jansen, noticed Demitrius Blackwell “walking and adjusting an object in his waistband” when they pulled up on him in their car, exchanging words with him before he turned and suddenly fired at least two rounds into the car, police Commissioner William Bratton said.
Police arrested Demetrius Blackwell, 35, who shot at Moore and another officer at about 6:15 p.m. while they were in their car in the borough of Queens, New York Police Commissioner William Bratton told reporters.
Bratton said the officers were trying to question Blackwell, who had an extensive criminal background, after they observed him appearing to adjust an object in his waistband.
The police-involved shooting, the fifth in as many months in New York, initially evoked fears of the December ambush of two uniformed police officers killed while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn. But Bratton said Saturday that a preliminary investigation indicates that Blackwell, 35, made no such postings but has an extensive criminal history, including an arrest for possession of a weapon and seven years in prison for attempted murder.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Moore was “very, very seriously injured.” Local media reported the officer had been shot in the face.
“It’s a reminder of the dangers all of our officers face every single day,” de Blasio said at a news conference at the hospital. De Blasio said Moore came from a police family and has served with distinction.
The shooting comes at a time of increased national focus both on the use of force by law enforcement officers and the dangers of police work. On Friday, six officers were charged in the death of a Baltimore man who was injured while in police custody.
Steven Goodstein
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