A second New York Police Department officer has died from his injuries after a shooting in Harlem on Friday night.
The NYPD confirmed that Wilbert Mora, 27, died on Monday after he was shot while responding to a domestic dispute in Harlem on Friday night. NYPD Officer Jason Rivera, 22, was also fatally wounded while responding to the call.
New York leaders mourned the officer’s death.
SUSPECT IN HARLEM POLICE SHOOTING DIES
“Wilbert is 3 times a hero. For choosing a life of service. For sacrificing his life to protect others. For giving life even in death through organ donation. Our heads are bowed & our hearts are heavy,” New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell wrote on Twitter.
It’s with great sadness I announce the passing of Police Officer Wilbert Mora.
Wilbert is 3 times a hero. For choosing a life of service. For sacrificing his life to protect others. For giving life even in death through organ donation. Our heads are bowed & our hearts are heavy. pic.twitter.com/8JiWGbUYTn
— Commissioner Sewell (@NYPDPC) January 25, 2022
Wilbert Mora was a hero.
He served his city, protected his community and gave his life for our safety.
Our hearts are heavy. Our city is in mourning.
To his family, loved ones, and brothers and sisters in the NYPD: Your city is standing with you today and always.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 25, 2022
New York City Mayor Eric Adams hailed Mora as a “hero” and said the “city is in mourning.”
“Officer Mora and his partner, Officer Jason Rivera, showed courage in the face of imminent danger to protect New Yorkers. Their bravery exemplified their commitment to protecting the city they loved,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden called Adams on Monday night to “express his deepest condolences” over the shooting and emphasize his “firm support for Mayor Adams’s efforts to combat gun violence and violent crime” and steps to serve as a federal partner.
The department confirmed that the suspect in the shooting, Lashawn McNeil, died on Monday after he was shot by a third officer during the incident.
Three NYPD officers responded to the 911 call on Friday night from McNeil’s mother, according to police. When the officers arrived, McNeil allegedly opened a door and began firing at them. When he attempted to escape, the third officer shot him twice, according to police.
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In recent weeks, the city has seen an escalation in violent crime. Earlier this month, an 11-month-old baby was shot by a stray bullet, and a woman was pushed in front of a subway train by a homeless man, among other crimes. Nearly every category of violent crime was on the rise in a 28-day period compared to the same time period in 2020-2021, according to data released by the NYPD.
Adams, a former police captain who campaigned for mayor on an anti-crime agenda, released a plan on Sunday to tackle rising crime rates, reinstating a new version of a modified plainclothes anti-gun unit.
