Officer Brian Moore Mourned By Thousands As He Is Laid To Rest, Emotion Fills New York For Officer Who Was Shot In The Head

New York Streets were filled with supporters of officer Brian Moore, giving him his final salute before being laid to rest today. Officer Moore was shot last week while on duty, as he and his partner attempted to question a suspect that was adjusting something within his waistband. Without notice, Demetrius Blackwell removed a gun and shot Moore in the head. The incident occurred as tensions between police officers and civilians are on the rise across the country. Blackwell attempted to flee from the murder but was apprehended. The gun used to shoot Officer Moore was stolen in 2011.

CNN reported that flags were flown at half-staff as over 30,000 people attended the funeral procession in support of Officer Moore. Flags at all city and state government buildings were lowered to half-staff in Officer Moore’s honor, and many of the attendees to the procession saluted the black hearse as it drove by. Officers lined the path to St. James Roman Catholic Church as Moore’s casket was carried inside for his last service.

Mayor Bill de Blasio attended the funeral and said a few words in Moore’s honor.

“Brian Moore represents the best of New York City. He was brave for sure, but his bravery was matched by his compassion.”

Officer Moore was on the force for only five years, but it was a lifelong dream of his to serve New York as an officer of the law.

A preliminary investigation into what caused Blackwell to end Moore’s life has been met with little to no rationale, other than Moore just happened to be the closest officer to him when he shot. Mayor de Blasio is upset that the senseless murder occurred, but is sure that the police force will do all it can to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future, according to the Daily Mail.

“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. But the thing about cops is they keep going.”

Police Commissioner William Bratton took the time to promote Brian Moore to a detective first grade prior to his burial, an honor that he feels was not wasted on Moore. He also took a moment to use Moore’s passion for being a good cop as a reason not to give in to current tensions toward police officers.

“We cannot be defined by that criticism. What is lost in the shouting and the rhetoric is the context of what we do. A handful of recent incidents, fewer than a dozen, have wrongfully come to define the hundreds of millions of interactions cops have every year.”

[Photo By Spencer Platt/Getty Images]