After responding to Harlem domestic violence calls, a rookie New York City officer police officer was shot and killed. His partner is now fighting for his survival.
Jason Rivera signed up just over a year back and died during the shooting in November 2020.
His partner Wilbert Mora, who joined the NYPD in 2018, is currently fighting for his life.
Initial reports by multiple police officers indicated both of them had died.
They responded to a call about domestic violence at 5:10pm. It involved a woman and her son, West 135th Street.
Lashawn J. McNeill, 47, the gunman who killed McNeil was also on probation. According to police sources, McNeil was shot by a third officer on the spot, who is relatively recent to the NYPD.
These officers were the first to die under Eric Adams, an ex-NYPD officer who was elected partly in order to reduce the city’s rising crime rate. His spokesman stated that Adams was on the way to the hospital.
They are the fourth and fifth officers shot so far this year – by comparison, last year, a total of 10 police officers were shot in the entire state of New York.
Police were called by the mother to assist her and they arrived in front of the apartment on 119 West 135 Street around 6:30pm.
The police claim McNeil was found in a back room. They say officers tried to speak to McNeil and were eventually shot.
Gunfire struck one officer in the head.
In August, officers responded to a call about domestic violence in the same apartment.
Jason Rivera (left), a NYPD officer who had joined the force a little more than a year earlier, was killed in a shooting on Friday. His partner Wilbert Mora signed up in 2018.
Lashawn J. McNeill, 47, shot the officers. He later died from his injuries. He was currently on probation.
Harlem Hospital, NYPD Officers after Friday Night’s Shooting
Harlem Hospital, Friday night: Members of NYPD
In the waiting room of the hospital, officers stand at the steps to await news from their colleagues
Photograph of Harlem police officers showing their support for the victims of two shootings and one death.
Officers responded to a report of domestic violence on Friday night
Since Eric Adams became mayor in January, this is the first time that a member of the NYPD has been shot to death.
On the corner in Harlem, a police officer is on guard
An audio recording by police reveals how the gunfight began and the number of shots that were fired.
“Shots fired,” one responds, while sirens are heard behind the scenes. ‘Cop shot. Additional units are needed.
The dispatcher then urgently asked nearby units for assistance in clearing the streets and preparing a route to the ambulances.
One man said, “Two officers killed.” We are sending NYs to the hospital. Have backup units.
Harlem Hospital was called for the officers.
‘Due a police issue, please avoid the West 135 Street area between Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd & Malcolm X Boulevard. According to the NYPD, Manhattan.
Do not travel through the same area as police officers and take an alternate route.
This was the third NYPD officer killed in line of duty shooting in just 72 hours. It follows an incident on Tuesday in Bronx and another on Thursday on Staten Island.
Officer Kaseem Pant in Bronx, an officer who was scuffling in the Bronx with a juvenile suspect, was hit in the leg and has since been discharged from the hospital.
Detective Dominick M. A. Libretti shot through the doors and struck his leg in an attempt to serve a Staten Island search warrant. The hospital performed surgery on him, which he was still in recovery. His injury, though not serious, was reported to be stable.
On January 1, Officer Keith Wagenhauser was shot in the head in his patrol car by a stray bullet, while sitting outside a Bronx precinct. He has since been discharged from hospital.
Alvin Bragg is the Manhattan District Attorney. Bragg has been accused in some cases of being too soft on crime, saying that he won’t prosecute certain crimes. Bragg said this was an ‘horrible tragic’.
“This was a terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the NYPD and all their family members,” he stated.
“The police officers that serve and protect us are at risk every day. It is unacceptable to tolerate violence against the police.
Adams can be seen at the Bronx scene of Wednesday’s shooting, in which a baby was captured in crossfire and then shot in his face
Adams is a former NYPD Officer and tweeted his disgust at the violence that must end
Since Eric Adams became mayor of New York City, crime has risen by 35 percent
In the Big Apple, overall crime has risen by 35 percent
Adams (61), retired as a Captain from the Police Force after 22 years of service and entered politics in 2006.
Bill de Blasio, Adams’ predecessor and a Democrat himself, had a difficult relationship to police. It was a vicious cycle that saw him suffer constant criticisms from the police unions at the end of his second term, as they felt he had not done enough.
Adams, on the contrary, presented himself as tough against crime and respecting human right’s. Adams strongly rejected calls to defund police from progressives – de Blasio had in July 2020 cut $1 billion off the NYPD budget. This further angered officers.
Adams campaigned on the claim that his experience, both as an officer and as someone who was ‘assaulted by police officers,’ has helped him better understand the situation.
Adams was also criticized for suggesting that certain controversial tactics like’stop and frisk’ could help officers in their job.
He declared, “I became a Police Officer, I understand Crime, and I also understand Police Abuse,” after the victory in the Democratic Primary of July 2021.
“And I know how to turn around New York and America. Our country is in an awful place. We can change this nation, this city around.
Adams stated that he ran as mayor in order to “turn pain into purposes” because many people feel they’ve been ‘trampled’ by leaders.
He said, “My fellow New Yorkers that betrayal ends on January 1st.” “We will make a change.”
He’s had three difficult weeks his first week in office.
He has been to a vigil in support of the 40-year old Deloitte executive who was murdered last week by a homeless person.
A 19-year old woman was also shot and killed by a robber at East Harlem Burger King.
Adams said in tweets that he will not “surrender” the city.