Second NYPD officer shot in Harlem domestic disturbance call dies

The second NYPD officer shot Friday while responding to a domestic incident succumbed to his injuries, Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced.

Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, a four-year veteran of the force, died four days after being shot while answering a call in Harlem.

“It is with great sadness I announce the passing of Police Officer Wilbert Mora,” Ms. Sewell tweeted. “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.”

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

Mora had been clinging to life since he and partner Jason Rivera, a 22-year-old rookie, responded to a domestic violence call Friday evening.

Rivera died that night, while Mora, who was shot in the head and had a bullet lodged in his brain, underwent two surgeries.

Both men were shot by LaShawn McNeil, 47, who opened fire on the officers when they responded to a call placed by his mother.

McNeil was shot and wounded by a third officer at the scene. He died of his wounds on Monday afternoon.

NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch praised Mora in a statement.

“True heroes never die,” the union chief said. “Our brother Police Officer Wilbert Mora has left us, but he will live on in the heart of every New York City police officer from this day forward,” Mr. Lynch said.

“Police Officer Mora showed us what it means to carry out our mission with courage, skill and humanity,” he continued. “His sacrifice will guide us as we continue that mission, but we cannot succeed alone.”

President Biden called New York Mayor Adams Eric Adams late Monday to express his condolences over the two officers being shot.

Mora is the fourth officer to die in the last five days and the fifth since the start of 2022.

Cpl. Charles Galloway, a constable for Texas’ Harris County, was fatally shot during a routine traffic stop in southwest Houston at 12:45 a.m.

Police offered a $60,000 reward for information leading to an arrest of Oscar Rosales.

Another Harris County law enforcement official was killed Monday morning. Harris County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ramon Gutierrez, who was off duty, used his motorcycle to block an exit ramp in Houston to assist a driver when a car swerved around his bike and struck him. 

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Lavilla Spry took off from the scene but was later arrested and accused of drunken driving.

In the District, a Metropolitan Police officer was wounded after a gunman opened fire. The officer’s injuries were not life-threatening, but the shooter remains at large.

Last year was the deadliest on record for police officers, according to data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

In 2021, 62 officers were fatally shot in the line of duty, a 38% increase from the 45 killed by firearms in 2020.