Two New York City police officers were shot in a Harlem gunfight Friday night — one fatally and one critically wounded — days after a 16-year-old boy allegedly wounded another officer in the Bronx, according to police sources.
New York City’s 32nd Police Precinct held a vigil Saturday night for the slain officer.
An NYPD spokesperson confirmed that two officers had been shot near 119 West 135th Street in the NYPD’s 32nd Precinct. They were rushed to Harlem Hospital.
Despite earlier indications that both officers had died, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a late-night news briefing that one had died and the other was fighting for his life.
NYPD officers are seen at the site of a shooting in Harlem on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, in New York City. A New York Police Department officer was killed and another gravely injured Friday night after responding to a domestic disturbance call, according to a law enforcement official. (Associated Press)
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The slain officer has been identified as Jason Rivera, 22, who joined the force in 2020. The wounded officer is Wilbert Mora, 27, who’s been with the NYPD for four years.
“Tonight, we mourn the loss of a hero officer — a son, husband, and friend,” the NYPD tweeted early Saturday. “Only 22 years old, Police Officer Jason Rivera was murdered in the line of duty. We vow to #NeverForget Jason as his fellow Finest vow to honor his tremendous legacy of service & the ultimate sacrifice.”
NYPD Officer Jason Rivera, 22, was killed in the line of duty Friday night. (NYPD)
The suspect, identified as Lashawn McNeil, 47, was in critical condition, NYPD spokesperson Lt. John Grimpel said, correcting earlier reports that McNeil had died.
Lashawn J. McNeil, (The suspect has been identified as Lashawn McNeil, 47, who was shot by another officer after he opened fire on Rivera and Mora. )
“It is our city against the killers,” Mayor Eric Adams said during the news briefing. “This was not an attack on three brave officers. This was an attack on the city of New York.”
“It is our city against the killers. This was not an attack on three brave officers. This was an attack on the city of New York.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at a news conference after Friday’s shooting.
Officers arrived at an apartment in response to a domestic violence call involving a mother and her son at around 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The son, McNeil, allegedly opened fire striking both officers.
NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora remained in critical condition after the shooting. (NYPD)
A third NYPD officer returned fire, striking the suspect.
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Police arrived and met the caller and her son. After a brief conversation, she told the officers her other son, who had been involved in the dispute, was in the back bedroom.
One officer remained in the front of the apartment as the other two went down the narrow hallway to the back bedroom – and McNeil kicked the door open and began firing, according to authorities.
As he tried to leave the apartment through the front door, the third officer shot him twice.
Police said they recovered a stolen .45-caliber Glock handgun with a high-capacity magazine that had been stolen in Baltimore years ago.
Dispatchers called for an ambulance immediately. Then for a blood bank. The officers were rushed to Harlem Hospital. McNeil was also taken to a hospital.
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The NYPD said it shut down 135th street between Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevards and urged travelers to avoid the area.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted Friday night that the state was willing to support the Big Apple “in any way necessary.”
“My heart is with Harlem, the officers and their families,” she wrote.
Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s new progressive district attorney, called the shootings a “horrible tragedy.”
“I am deeply sorry for the families,” he told Fox News Digital Friday evening. “The officers who serve and protect us risk their lives every day. Violence against police cannot be tolerated and shooters must be held accountable.”
Bragg on Thursday backed away from an earlier memo he’d circulated in his office that called on his deputies to look for alternatives to prison sentences for some offenses and to work to decrease the population of suspects in pretrial detention.
“This is what you get with woke politicians, this is what you get with woke prosecutors, absolute disrespect for the law and disrespect for the police, which results in dead heroes,” Daniel Bibb, a retired Manhattan assistant district attorney, told Fox News Digital.
“This is what you get with woke politicians, this is what you get with woke prosecutors, absolute disrespect for the law and disrespect for the police, which results in dead heroes.”
Lee Zeldin, a GOP congressman and a Republican candidate for New York governor, said, “This has to stop.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland also weighed in, with his spokesman announcing he’d spoken with new NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell.
“He expressed his condolences and told her that the department and @FBI are standing by to assist,” the spokesman said. “He mentioned that FBI is already in touch with counterparts at @NYPD.”
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani tweeted: “Our prayers for the 22 year old NYPD officer who gave his life tonight protecting his fellow New Yorkers. And our prayers for the recovery of his 27 year old partner who was gravely wounded.”
Video posted to Citizen shows a huge police presence at the scene with yellow tape closing off a section of the road.
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On Tuesday, a juvenile rapper allegedly shot the Bronx officer – and it became apparent later that he had been placed on probation for illegal firearms possession just last month. On Wednesday, a gunman’s stray bullet tore through the face of an 11-month-old girl sitting in the backseat of her mother’s car, also in the Bronx, according to authorities.
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Another city cop had been injured earlier this week, and prior to that, an off-duty officer was shot while sleeping in his car on Jan. 1, according to FOX 5 New York.
In all, Friday’s officers were the fourth and fifth shot so far in the first three weeks of 2022.
The violence comes as violent crimes, namely shootings and murders, are on the rise in many parts of the country. Several cities – Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, to name a few – reported upticks in murders in 2021.
Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
This is a developing news story.
Source: www.foxnews.com