Homicide

Plainclothes NYPD officer recovering after being shot in the head; 35-year-old man in custody

Associated Press
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An unidentified woman wipes her face after talking with police officers Sunday, May 3, 2015 about the shooting of a police officer in the Queens borough of New York. Demetrius Blackwell is accused of shooting a New York City police officer in the head Saturday evening and is being charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (The Associated Press)

Residents stand in the doorway of their home, left, as they watch police officers investigate the scene of a shooting in the Queens borough of New York, Sunday, May 3, 2015. Demetrius Blackwell is accused of shooting a New York City police officer in the head Saturday evening and is being charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (The Associated Press)

A man and girl stand behind a glass door of a house, Sunday, May 3, 2015, as they watch police investigate the nearby scene of a shooting in the Queens borough of New York. Demetrius Blackwell is accused of shooting a New York City police officer in the head Saturday evening and is being charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (The Associated Press)

A New York City police officer shot in the head and critically injured while attempting to stop a man suspected of carrying a gun is recovering following surgery.

Detectives are still investigating after arresting 35-year-old Demetrius Blackwell in the shooting of Officer Brian Moore.

Commissioner William Bratton says at a Saturday night press conference that 25-year-old Moore is in stable condition.

Bratton says Moore and his partner suspected Blackwell of carrying a gun after he was adjusting his waistband. Bratton says that when they approached Blackwell in an unmarked police car Saturday, he suddenly turned and fired at least twice.

No gun has been recovered and Blackwell has not been charged.

Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh) says the shooting is a reminder of the danger officers face.

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Associated Press writers Jake Pearson and Tom Hays contributed to this report.