Thousands expected at funeral for 'exceptional young officer' Brian Moore

SEAFORD, Long Island (PIX11) - A 25-year-old New York City police officer will be laid to rest Friday, days after he died from injuries he suffered when a suspect he tried to stop in Queens pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots into his squad car.

Tens of thousands of mourners are expected to attend the funeral of Officer Brian Moore at Saint James Roman Catholic Church in Seaford, Long Island. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. It will be shown live on PIX11 and PIX11.com.

Moore had been on the force for barely five years when he was killed in the line of duty. Police Commissioner William Bratton said in his short career, Moore - who was the son and nephew of retired NYPD sergeants - "had already proved himself to be an exceptional young officer."

Moore and a partner were in plainclothes and traveling in an unmarked car in Queens Village on May 2 when they pulled alongside a man who was "walking and adjusting an object in his waistband," NYPD said.

When approached by the officers, the pedestrian reached into his waistband and pulled out a weapon. He fired multiple shots into the officers' car. Moore, who was sitting in the driver's seat, was struck in the head. His partner, Officer Erik 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 said.

After allegedly opening fire, the suspect ran from the scene. With Moore mortally wounded behind the wheel, Jansen radioed for help and a manhunt began. It ended 90 minutes later when Demetrius Blackwell, 35, was taken into custody inside 104-25 212th Place, NYPD said.

Moore was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. He spent two days in a coma before he was taken off life support Monday, marking the third time an NYPD officer had been killed in the line of duty in the past five months.

Blackwell originally had been charged with attempted murder but those charges were upgraded to include first-degree murder in the wake of Moore's death.

Police said Blackwell has "an extensive arrest history" and detectives believe the gun he allegedly used to kill Moore had been stolen in 2011 from a bait and tackle shop in Georgia. The weapon was discovered in a backyard shortly after the deadly shooting.

It was the third time in five months that an NYPD officer was gunned down while on patrol.

Posthumously promoted to detectives, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were killed "execution style" Dec. 20, 2014, while they waited at a stoplight in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, allegedly by a man vocal about his disdain for police officers and who turned the gun on himself after shooting the pair.

Thousands of officers from around the country are expected to attend Moore's funeral, prompting heightened security around the church.

Drivers should expect periodic road closures from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the area of Stewart Avenue and Hicksville Road from Hempstead Turnpike to the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway; Union Avenue; and Sesamans Neck Road from Hicksville Road to Cordwood Lane.

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