NYPD Officer Shot In Queens Has Died

After being shot in the head while sitting in an unmarked police car Saturday, 25-year-old NYPD officer Brian Moore died on Monday. Moore was in a coma since Saturday night, when he underwent surgery for the injuries to his head obtained when someone opened fire on the officer and his partner, Erik Jansen, in their car in Queens. His family removed him from life support Monday, according to the New York Post.

Demetrius Blackwell, 35, was arrested for the shooting and charged with two counts of attempted murder, which authorities now plan to change to murder. Moore and Jansen, in plainclothes and an unmarked police car, pulled up alongside a man identified as Blackwell who they noticed was adjusting something on his waistband.

According to the Post, Moore asked the man, "Do you have something in your waist?" Blackwell allegedly responded, "Yeah, I got something," and then shot into the car three times before fleeing the scene. Moore was hit in the head and Jansen was not injured. "Both officers were still seated in the vehicle and did not have an opportunity to get out or return fire," the police department told PIX11. Jansen radioed for help and a manhunt began for the suspect.

Blackwell was arrested 90 minutes later, thanks to eyewitnesses who identified him. Blackwell was ordered to be held without bail at his arraignment Sunday and prosecutors plan to present the case to a grand jury, according to PIX11. The NYPD told PIX11 that Blackwell has an "extensive" arrest history, including criminal possession of a weapon, assault, and robbery and has spent time in jail in the past. Queens Assistant District Attorney Peter McCormack told the Post that Blackwell told investigators his friends call him "Dee." He also reportedly said: "They also call me 'Hell-Raiser' on the street."

Outside the courthouse Sunday, union chief Patrick Lynch said, "We’ll make sure he never raises hell on the streets of New York City ever again. Just remember, if you attack one police officer, you’ve attacked all of us."

Moore had only been with the NYPD for about five years when he was killed while on duty. He comes from a family of police officers, as his father, Raymond, and uncle are retired sergeants and his cousin is on the force. "This was nothing more, nothing less than a coldblooded attempt at an assassination of New York’s Finest," McCormack said in court Sunday. "These brave officers were doing what they do every day — putting their lives at risk."