Funeral For NYPD Officer Brian Moore Scheduled For Friday

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Funeral arrangements have been made for fallen NYPD Officer Brian Moore.

The 25-year-old officer died Monday, two days after being shot in the head while sitting in an unmarked squad car in Queens.

Candles cast a soft glow into the May night, at the memorial to the slain cop at the 105th Precinct station.

"It's heartbreaking. He's young. He basically didn't even start his life yet," Sukhwinder Kaur told CBS2's Tony Aiello.

Parents came with children, many too young to understand the loss that the memorial represented, but they could marvel at the beauty of the flowers and tributes to understand one thing.

"He was a good cop," Preetpal Kaur said.

Memorials inside and outside of the station house were bursting with colorful flowers as members of law enforcement stopped by to pay their respects.

"It's a shame. He tried to do his job. This is a shame. I feel so sorry for his parents, I really do," Jennie Roman, a retired correction officer, told 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon.

On Tuesday night, Moore was honored at Citi Field where the Mets played his favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles.

Mets players wore NYPD hats during batting practice.

"Hopefully his family understands that although it's hard to understand what they're going through, but we're here for them," Mets Manager Terry Collins said.

During the 7th inning stretch a fellow officer sand God Bless America and the crowd showed its appreciation and support.

Moore's body was driven from Manhattan to a Long Island funeral home Tuesday. The hearse was led on the Long Island Expressway by an NYPD ambulance and police escort.

Chopper2 was over the LIE as the procession made its way to the funeral home. People stopped on the expressway to show their respect, saluting the officer, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.

About 50 people, including colleagues from Moore's precinct, awaited as the procession carrying his body arrived at Fredrick J. Chapey and Sons Funeral Home in Bethpage. Visitation is planned there Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Moore's funeral is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Seaford.

"He's like a brother to me," said childhood friend Pat Davis. "He was a people person, he brings people together. When you find out Brian's gonna be some where, you want to be there because you want to be around him."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered flags on all state government buildings to be flown at half-staff in honor of Moore from Tuesday until his burial. The Mets will also honor Moore at Tuesday night's game against Baltimore by having a moment of silence and showing his image inside and outside Citi Field.

Charges against the accused gunman, 35-year-old Demetrius Blackwell, will be upgraded to first-degree murder, which, if he's convicted, carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

Blackwell 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.

Assistant District Attorney Peter McCormack said Moore and patrol partner Erik Jansen, 30 — both in plain clothes in an unmarked police car — approached Blackwell on a Queens Village street after seeing him tugging at his waistband around 6:15 p.m. Saturday and asked him, "What are you carrying?"

The officers ordered Blackwell to stop and exchanged words with him. That's when Blackwell turned, the prosecutor said, and "in a vicious manner, started to fire." Blackwell allegedly opened fire before the officers could get out of their car.

After a 90-minute manhunt, police arrested Blackwell a block away, where a neighbor said he was trying to blend in with the crowd.

Following an exhaustive search, police recovered the .38 Special revolver they believe Blackwell used to fire the deadly shots. The weapon was one of 23 stolen in Georgia in 2011; nine of those guns have now been recovered in New York City, WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported.

Blackwell has a long rap sheet and served five years in prison for attempted murder.

Known on the street as "Hellraiser," he has nine previous arrests on his record, including charges of robbery, weapons possession and assault of a police officer, authorities said.

Blackwell has been described as completely estranged from family and friends.

Moore came from a family of police officers -- his father and uncle were both sergeants in the NYPD.

With more than 150 arrests made and service medals earned in less than five years on the job, Moore had already started carving out a promising career for himself.

"In his very brief career, less than five years, he had already proved himself to be an exceptional young officer," police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Monday.

Tuesday has been a difficult day at the 105th Precinct station house, where Moore worked as part of the anti-crime unit, CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported.

Throughout the morning, community members and fellow officers stopped by to bring flowers and cards and pay their respects.

Inside the station is a photo of Moore surrounded by candles.

"Twenty-five years old, only five years on the force," said Luis Riveros, of Queens Village. "It's devastating.

"We have no respect for human life. Animals don't kill each other like that."

Added Queens Village resident Cynthia Jackson: "It was tragic that something like that would happen. Senseless. And we just have to do better as a community."

In Massapequa, residents put out ribbons on their homes to send a message to Moore's family and to everyone who wears a uniform.

"To be supportive for the family," said Massapequa resident Dina Ceraso.

Ceraso left an angel at the steps of Moore's home with a message from some of the high school students from Moore's alma mater, Plainedge High school.

"In our prayers Brian, love Plainedge girls lacrosse," she read.

"Cops mean something to us and this is the way of us doing it. It's the only thing we can do," said florist Laurie Logan.

Logan, owner of Flowers by Edwards, hand made more than 2,000 blue ribbons, and has the blisters to prove it.

"I can't make them fast enough," she said.

And she's giving them away.

"I wish we could do more for the Moore family, but I hope in someway this helps them," she said.

Moore is the third NYPD cop killed in the line of duty in the last five months.

He is the second NYPD officer from North Massapequa to die in the line of duty. The first was Ed Byrne in 1988, also shot in Queens.

Byrne's brother Larry told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera the two families have lived on the same block for five decades, and he's been trying to comfort the Moores.

"I was at Jamaica Hospital with the police commissioner and the family," he said. "It was incredibly sad, and a terrible tragedy."

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In:
• John Montone
• Demetrius Blackwell