Career criminal who 'shot NYPD cop in the face as he sat in patrol car' spent eight years in prison for SAME OFFENSE Demetrius Blackwell fired gun 'at least twice' on cop, it is allegedOfficer Brian Moore shot in head and chest, remains critical in hospitalSuspect spent years behind bars for attempted murder conviction in 2000, after he shot at another man in a carHe was charged Sunday with two counts of attempted murder of an officerBy Sophie Jane Evans For Dailymail.com 4 May 2015
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A 35-year-old man who faces two attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting a New York City police officer in the face spent eight years in prison for the same offence, it has been revealed.
Demetrius Blackwell was reportedly approached by Officer Brian Moore and his partner in an unmarked police car on Saturday night after he was seen adjusting his waistband suspiciously.
As the plainclothes officers exchanged words with him, Blackwell allegedly turned and fired at least twice without warning, hitting Moore. The cop's colleague, Officer Erik Jansen, then radioed for help.
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Shooting: Demetrius Blackwell (right) is facing two attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting NYPD officer Brian Moore (left) in the head and the chest while he was being questioned on the streets of Queens
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Arraignment: Blackwell, who has a criminal record that includes a weapons possession charge, is pictured appearing in court for his arraignment on Sunday afternoon, flanked by several lawyers and NYPD officers
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Dishevelled appearance: The serial felon wore a seemingly ripped white prison suit for his arraignment
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Packed: Blackwell's outfit revealed several tattoos on his torso. Above, the court was packed on Sunday
It has emerged that Blackwell was convicted of attempted murder in 2000, after he shot at a car driven by a man he had just robbed at gunpoint, the New York Daily News reported.
Moore, 25, was rushed to hospital in a patrol car, where he remains in a critical but stable condition. He has reportedly since been placed in a medically-induced coma to relieve pressure on his brain.
Following the shooting, on-foot officers and helicopters started searching for the suspect, who had fled. Soon after, Blackwell was arrested near the crime scene in a house on the block where he lives.
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Blackwell was arraigned Sunday afternoon, the Queens district attorney's office told the AP. He wore a seemingly ripped white prison suit. His charges include two counts of attempted murder of an officer.
On Saturday night, Police Commissioner William Bratton told a news conference at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center that the two officers 'did not have an opportunity to get out [of the car] and return fire'.
After the incident, witnesses described Blackwell to responding officers and pointed them in the direction he ran, Bratton said. Officers searched house by house, while some walked on roofs.
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Attack: Moore is pictured, left, in an official cop photo, while Blackwell is seen, right, in his police mug shot
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Victim: Moore (pictured) remains in a critical condition and has reportedly been put in a coma by medics
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Arrest: Blackwell, 35, reportedly opened fire after he was approached by Moore and his partner in an unmarked police car on Saturday night. Above, the suspect is pictured arrested by police soon after
Suspect in custody after officer critically injured in New York
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who also attended the conference alongside other officials, said the shooting was a painful reminder of the risks that offices nationwide take every day in performing their duties.
Speaking of Moore, who has been on the job since July 2010, he added: 'Our hearts are with his family, his loved ones. Our hearts are with his extended family, the men and women of the NYPD.'
The shooting of Moore, who comes from a family of police officers, instantly evoked fears of the December 2014 slayings of two uniformed officers as they sat in their patrol cars in Brooklyn.
In that incident, the suspect had posted online that he was seeking retribution against officers for the death of 43-year-old Eric Garner in an apparent chokehold by police on Staten Island last July.
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Looking for the gun: NYPD officers search for the weapon used to shoot Officer Moore in Queens on Sunday
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At work: Cops are seen searching house-to-house for the gun at around the same time Blackwell was in court
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Checking everywhere: A New York City cop is seen on the roof of a house in the area where Blackwell lives
Mayor de Blasio speaks after police officer is shot on duty
The killings of Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos - whose funerals thousands of cops from across America - strained an already tense relationship between city police unions and de Blasio.
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch turned his back on the mayor at a hospital on the day of the killings and said that de Blasio had 'blood on his hands'.
But on Saturday night, Lynch was among the officials who attended the news conference about the shooting of Moore, who was working out of the 105th precinct when he was shot around 6.15pm.
Lynch could be seen shaking the mayor's hand and speaking briefly with him afterward. According to CBS, Moore was in surgery on Sunday as doctors battled to keep him stable.
Read more: dailymail.co.uk
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