8 The QUeeNS CoUrier • MAY 7, 2015 for BrEAkiNG NEws visiT www.queenscourier.com 14 times • MAY 7, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com NYPD OFFICER SHOT IN QUEENS VILLAGE DIES OF HIS INJURIES BY ROBERT POZARYCKI AND CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] @QueensCourier Queens’ Finest is in mourning again. A young police officer lost his life two days after being shot in the head while on patrol in Queens Village and the suspected gunman is now behind bars for first-degree murder, authorities said. P.O. Brian Moore, 25, of the 105th Precinct, had reportedly been in a medically induced coma at Jamaica Hospital after complications from emergency surgery set in. “He already proved himself to be an exceptional young officer,” Bratton said of Moore, who had been on the force for just under five years. Bratton, speaking outside of Jamaica Hospital following Moore’s death on May 4, added that in that short time, Moore had made 150 arrests, winning various medals for meritorious service. “We ask for the people of the city to pray for them,” Bratton continued, referring to Moore’s family, which includes his father and an uncle, both retired NYPD sergeants, and a cousin who is on the job. Moore was behind the wheel of an unmarked police car when was shot by the alleged gunman, identified as Demetrius Blackwell, 35, of 212th Place in Queens Village. Authorities said Moore and his partner, P.O. Erik Jansen, pulled up to Blackwell at the corner of 212th Street and 104th Road at about 6:30 p.m. on May 2 and questioned him after observing him motioning toward his waistband as if handling a firearm. When they questioned Blackwell, the suspect allegedly pulled out a firearm and fired several shots at the car, striking Moore in the face and head. Jansen, who was uninjured, radioed for assistance. A responding patrol car rushed Moore to Jamaica Hospital. Though he was listed as being in critical but stable condition as of May 3, his condition reportedly worsened thereafter. Police tracked down Blackwell at his home a few hours after the shooting took place. The weapon believed to have been used in the shooting, a silver revolver reported stolen from Georgia in 2011, was recovered by officers in Queens Village two days later. Authorities noted that Blackwell has a previous criminal record that included arrests for robbery and weapons possession. According to NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records, he was released from prison in June 2008 after serving time for a second-degree attempted murder conviction. Following Moore’s death, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced that the charges against Blackwell would be upgraded to first-degree murder. Blackwell had previously been arraigned on first-degree attempted murder, assault and weapon possession charges, and ordered held without bail. He now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. According to the NYPD, a wake for Moore, who resided in Massapequa, Long Island, will be held on Thursday at the Chapey & Sons Funeral Home in Bethpage from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and 7 to 9:30 p.m. His funeral will take place the following day, at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Seaford, Long Island, at 11 a.m. On the evening of his death, Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered all flags to fly at half-staff on all city buildings and stationary flagstaffs throughout the five boroughs until Moore is laid to rest. Gov. Andrew Cuomo also ordered flags on all state government buildings to fly at half-staff. This is the first line-of-duty homicide that the NYPD suffered since December, when Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were fatally shot on a Brooklyn street. Their killer took his own life moments after the shooting. “Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of Police Officer Brian Moore,” de Blasio said in a statement. “For five years, Brian served with distinction and he put his life on the line each day to keep us all safe. On Saturday, he made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the people of New York City.” President Obama — in Manhattan on May 4 for an address at Lehman College — also mourned the officer’s death. “He came from a family of police officers,” Obama was quoted in The New York Times. “And the family of fellow officers he joined in the NYPD and across the country deserve our gratitude and our prayers, not just today but every day. They’ve got a tough job.” Photo courtesy of NYPD Officer Brian Moore Local pol opposes liquor license for Knockdown Center Queens residents, pols mourn slain NYPD officer BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua After the death of P.O. Brian Moore was announced on May 4, reactions of sadness reverberated across Queens. “This was an unprovoked attack and cold-blooded murder of Police Officer Brian Moore, one of our city’s Finest, in the line of duty,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz in a statement on May 4. “We deeply mourn this terrible loss. Any attack on our officers is an attack on our society. It is to be condemned in every sense of the word, and the person responsible must be held fully accountable. Our officers deserve the utmost respect for their devotion and the very real dangers they face day in and day out in the selfless mission to protect our city.” Councilman I. Daneek Miller— who represents Queens Village, where the shooting occurred — said he hopes to work with local law enforcement to keep neighborhoods safe for everyone. “As a community we mourn the passing of Officer Brian Moore and are appalled by the act of violence that led to it,” Miller said. “Our community looks forward to working with law enforcement to combat violence against our officers and ensure that our streets are safe for all.” Fellow Councilman Donovan Richards also mourned Moore’s passing and added that a solid relationship between officers and the community is key to ending violence. “Officer Moore was an exemplary member of the 105th Precinct and will be greatly missed by all those who knew him,” Richards said. “My prayers are with his family, friends and fellow officers during this time of loss. My sincere hope is that we can work to end senseless violence by building meaningful relationships between our communities and the officers that protect us.” State Senator Joseph Addabbo, who has actively pushed for legislation to eliminate parole for people who kill police officers on duty, said he would continue to fight for this legislation to be passed. “Police Officer Moore joins the unacceptable number of police officers who were murdered merely because of the uniform they wore,” Addabbo said. “I intend to continue my promotion of legislation that calls for the elimination of parole for those who kill police officers on duty.” A retired NYPD captain residing in Queens also called for the public to show their support for local police in the days ahead. “Police officers give of themselves every day to keep our city, state and nation safe,” said retired NYPD Capt. Joseph Concannon, who held a press conference on May 4 in front of the 105th Precinct stationhouse in Queens Village. “Police Officer Brian Moore of the 105th Police Precinct is a testament to the courage, valor and bravery of the men and women of the New York City Police Department. We thank his family and friends for his service to the citizens of the city of New York.” Concannon said he hopes people will observe National Police Week on Wednesday, May 13, by holding vigils outside of their local precincts from 8:30 to 9 p.m. The vigil remembers the 117 police officers nationwide who died in the line of duty in 2014. BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport The Knockdown Center in Maspeth again seeks a full liquor license — and again faces strong opposition from a local politician and Community Board 5. Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan wrote a letter to State Liquor Authority (SLA) Commissioners Jeanique Greene and Kevin Kim asking them to deny the new liquor license application from the arts venue at 52-19 Flushing Ave. during a recertification hearing held on Tuesday. The SLA did not make a decision on the matter at the hearing; it will be considered again at its June session. In the letter, Nolan wrote, “The community board and the Maspeth community have very serious concerns that their quality of life will be seriously diminished if this establishment is granted a liquor license. I support and strongly endorse their concerns and would ask that your agency once again reject the application at the recertification hearing.” During their March 12, 2014, monthly meeting, Community Board 5 (CB 5) unanimously voted in opposition to granting the Knockdown Center a liquor license. “Our position has not changed since we made our recommendation last year,” said CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano in an interview Wednesday. Nolan went on to explain why she feels the Knockdown Center should not be granted a liquor license. She noted that the center is currently located in the Maspeth Industrial Business Zone (IBZ), making the area better suited for a manufacturing or industrial business. The zoning was created to provide financial incentives to businesses that went into manufacturing. The Knockdown Center was previously a door factory. “A study by the New York Industrial Retention Center supports this reasoning and claims that commercial businesses like the Knockdown Center can disrupt and ultimately lead to a breakdown of the zones,” Nolan wrote. “As a supporter of the IBZ, I would be very concerned by this proposed outcome.” Nolan also mentioned that the center has repeatedly applied for a place of assembly permit to have as many as 5,000 people at their events, which could lead to hundreds, and possibly thousands, of visitors traveling through the community. “With only three bus lines and a considerable distance from the train, the added volume of people will further strain the already limited transportation options residents have in Maspeth and the surrounding communities in Queens,” she said. Nolan cited the Knockdown Center’s previous events where large groups of people gathered in the area, which has several residential homes and apartments. One such event took place on Nov. 11, 2014, when the Knockdown Center held a concert. “Throughout the night, there were both large crowds present, customers sitting on stoops of nearby homes and allegedly public urination in the streets,” Nolan said. “Several residents called in noise complaints that were filed with the city’s 311 system.”
RT05072015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above