Attempted murder charges as US officer shot

A man wanted for illegal gun possession was charged yesterday with the attempted murder of a New York City plainclothes police officer who was shot in the head while pursuing the suspect in his unmarked car, authorities said.

Officer Brian Moore, 25, remained in critical but stable condition, a spokeswoman for the New York Police Department said.

Police identified the suspect in the shooting in the New York borough of Queens on Saturday as Demetrius Blackwell, 35. He was arrested soon after the shooting and yesterday he was charged with attempted murder, assault, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD said.

The shooting took place five months after the fatal ambush of two New York City police officers in Brooklyn. The gunman in that case had said he wanted to avenge black men killed in confrontations with white officers.

The shooting of Moore, who is white, sparked concern it was a replay of the Brooklyn murders. It occurred as tensions run high in Baltimore over the death last month of a black man from injuries sustained while in police custody.

However, asked if the suspect expressed any anti-police sentiment or was influenced by recent demonstrations against police, Police Commissioner William Bratton said there was no indication of that.

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