|
 Services for the New York Police Department's Brian Moore at a
Roman Catholic church in a Long Island suburb were attended by U.S.
Senator Charles Schumer, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police
Commissioner William Bratton and dozens of other dignitaries.
"He knew he was making the city safer, he knew he was making a
difference in people's lives. It energized him," de Blasio said in
eulogizing Moore. The decorated, five-year veteran of the force had
followed his father and uncle into the NYPD.
Moore, who was promoted posthumuously to the rank of detective, is
the latest reminder of the dangers faced by law enforcement officers
in American cities. In December, two other New York patrolmen were
fatally shot while sitting in their patrol car.U.S. Representative
Peter King, a Republican representing the congressional district
where Moore lived, said the officer's slaying attests to the courage
and sacrifice that police make to protect the public.
"It's actually been a terrible year for the police because they've
been attacked, they've been assailed and, meanwhile, they're being
shot and murdered," he said before entering the church. "But the
thing about cops is they keep going."
King's comments also reflected the politically charged climate that
has enveloped police departments around the country, following
several controversial episodes involving black men and deadly police
force.
The deaths sparked demands for a review of police tactics and
measures such as requiring officers to wear body cameras on duty.
Six Baltimore police officers were charged last week in the death of
Freddie Gray, a black man who sustained spinal injuries while in
police custody. His death triggered a week of protests in the city,
punctuated by a night of looting and arson.
[to top of second column] |
POLICE MOURN
Absent from Moore's funeral at St. James Roman Catholic Church in
Seaford, east of New York City, was any open sign of disdain for de
Blasio, the mayor.
At the funerals in December and January, many officers turned their
backs on the de Blasio when he eulogized the slain policemen, and
said the mayor had fanned hostility to the police by failing to
support them. Since then, relations between the mayor and police
appear to have improved.
Moore was shot over the weekend in the borough of Queens after
trying to question a man who then fired into his unmarked car. The
officer, who was in plainclothes when he was shot, died of his
wounds on Monday.
The suspect, Demetrius Blackwell, 35, was arrested shortly after the
shooting and remained in custody. Police also recovered a five-shot
revolver that had been stolen in Georgia in 2011.
In December, the gunman who killed officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael
Ramos on a Brooklyn street had left messages saying he wanted to
kill police at random out of vengeance for the death of black men at
the hands of white officers. There were no indications that the
suspect in Moore's shooting was similarly motivated.
(Writing by Frank McGurty; editing by Jonathan Oatis, G Crosse)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
