Moment of silence for slain Sgt. Mark DiNardo

The Jersey City Police Department plans a moment of silence at 9:14 p.m. tonight, marking a year since Sgt. Mark DiNardo was declared brain dead after the courageous 10-year veteran followed orders to charge into an apartment, where a gunman waiting just five feet away shot him in the face.

Jerry DeMarco

07/19/2010 1:32 p.m.

DiNardo, who would have turned 39 this coming Friday, was taken off life support and declared dead two days later after physicians at Jersey City Medical Center harvested his organs.

All Jersey City police officers will stop any routine procedures — even if they are in their police vehicles — and stand in silence for 30 seconds.

The gunman and his girlfriend, Hassan Hosendove and Amanda Anderson, were killed in the Reed Street shootout, and four other officers were injured.

Mary DiNardo, who had three children with the fallen officer, is suing the city and the police department for $10 million, accusing officials of not giving officers of the Emergency Services Unit the necessary training, equipment or leadership to storm an apartment where he was shot dead.

PHOTO GALLERY: Tribute to a fallen hero

Jersey City officials admitted in the days after DiNardo was killed that the elite team didn’t know who was on the other side of the door when they were ordered to force it open.

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