Officer Moore Memorial Blood Drive coincides with critical need
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is holding the David S. Moore Memorial Blood Drive on the eight-year anniversary of the day Officer Moore was shot in Indianapolis.
The drive is Wednesday at two locations: the prosecutor’s office at 531 E. Ohio Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and inside the Mobile Blood Center at the IMPD Engagement Office at 4209 N. College Avenue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free parking is available in the EZ Park at 313 N. Alabama for those attending the Ohio Street location.
Officer David S. Moore was conducting a traffic stop on North Temple Avenue on Jan. 23, 2011, when a suspect opened fire striking Officer Moore four times, according to IMPD records. The 60-year-old suspect fled the scene but was apprehended and eventually sentenced to life in prison.
Officer Moore was injured beyond recovery and donated his organs to those in need over the next three days. His family has continued his legacy of donation by sharing his memory with a statewide blood drive every year near the anniversary of his death.
The David S. Moore Memorial Blood Drive also honors fallen officers Rod Bradway, Perry Renn and Lieutenant Aaron Allan, all men who have been praised for going above and beyond.
In 2018, IMPD Training Commander Jim Cleek remembered Officer Moore as one who was always prepared to give.
“Three, four times a week he would come into my office and ask almost the same question over and over: ‘What can I do to get better at what I’m doing?’” said Commander Cleek. “He just strived to grow and give as much of himself as he could.”
This year’s drive coincides with a critical need for blood, according to the Indiana Blood Center. Tuesday the center announced it has less than a two-day supply of blood. It needs about 550 blood donations a day to support the 80 hospitals it supplies. Without it, trauma patients, patients in surgery and others needing blood could use up the supply by the end of the week.
Travelers, people taking medicine, breastfeeding women, those with piercings or tattoos are elligible to give blood, according to the Indiana Donor Center. Exceptions include travelers who have visited malaria-prone countries, those on certain medications, pregnant women and those with certain conditions.
You should also be feeling healthy and well on the day of your donation and have not donated blood in the last 56 days.
For more information, visit the FAQ page for the Indiana Donor Center.