U.S. Customs Agent's Death Result of 'Ignorance,' Says Cousin

By Alicia Cruz

The Black Urban Times

What began as a evening out amongst two relatives ended in tragedy that 33-year-old Kerry Daily said began over ignorance not an angry exchange of words.

"Just the usual -- men being ignorant," Daily told Pablo Guzman of WCBS 2 in a tear-filled exclusive interview days after her cousin, Maurice "Big Mo" Gordon was shot and killed near his father's Jamaica, Queens home by a group of unknown men.

"I ignored them," Daily said.

Gordon, father of a 14-month-old daughter and husband to wife, Katisha, simply stood by his attractive cousin after she spurned the advances of three men in the "Memories" nightclub on Long Island.

"He didn't 'step in. He just came and stood by me, because I was by myself," Daily added saying there was no further encounter at the club.

But when she and Gordon arrived at his father's home around 4 a.m. on Monday, things changed in an instant.

"It really happened fast. It really happened fast. I heard Mo say 'Run, Kerry.' I saw them draw their guns. And I run," Daily said.

Police say Gordon was shot a total of 25 times and managed to empty his own weapon before he staggered a couple of houses over to another spot, where his father, Desmond Gordon, came out and found him as he lay dying of his injuries. At the hospital, Gordon's father asked the staff, if his son could be put on life support? Might there not be some miracle here?

He was told -- it's too late.

"He was younger than me, but he was like my big brother!" Daily told CBS of her cousin Gordon, a customs officer who worked at Kennedy Airport.

When asked to describe the kind of man her cousin was, Daily painted a picture of man devoted to his family, always willing to help and very well liked. A picture that seem to resonate when media outlets have spoken to anyone who knew of Maurice Gordon.

While police have made no arrests, they have circulated a sketch artist drawing of a man they believe is one of the three men who shot Gordon.

The suspect is described as a black male between 28 and 32 years old, standing at 5'10" to 6'0", with a thin build and black hair.


If you have information about the suspect(s) or the shooting, please call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip at NYPDcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES), enter TIP577.

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