Homicide

NYPD officer shot in the head dies; 'Exceptional' young man was building a promising career

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Police officers salute as the body of Brian Moore leaves Jamaica Hospital in New York, Monday, May 4, 2015. Moore, a 25-year-old police officer shot in the head over the weekend while attempting to stop a man suspected of carrying a handgun, has died from his injuries, the third New York Police Department officer slain in the line-of-duty in five months, a City Hall official said Monday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (The Associated Press)

Police officers salute as the body of Brian Moore as it leaves Jamaica Hospital in New York, Monday, May 4, 2015. Moore, a 25-year-old police officer shot in the head over the weekend while attempting to stop a man suspected of carrying a handgun, has died from his injuries, the third New York Police Department officer slain in the line-of-duty in five months, a City Hall official said Monday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (The Associated Press)

Police officers speak while waiting outside Jamaica Hospital in New York, Monday, May 4, 2015. Brian Moore, a 25-year-old police officer shot in the head over the weekend while attempting to stop a man suspected of carrying a handgun, has died from his injuries, the third New York Police Department officer slain in the line-of-duty in five months, a City Hall official said Monday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (The Associated Press)

Officer Brian Moore had already started carving out a promising career for himself at the New York Police Department. He made more than 150 arrests and earned service medals in less than five years on the job.

But that trajectory ended Monday. The 25-year-old was pronounced dead at a Queens hospital, two days after being shot in the head by a man with an extensive criminal record, including serving five years in prison on an attempted murder conviction.

Prosecutors say Demetrius Blackwell will be charged with first-degree murder. He was charged earlier with attempted murder and other crimes. He's being held without bail and hasn't entered a plea. His attorney has denied the charges.

Police Commissioner William Bratton says Moore was "an exceptional young officer."