NYC Grieves After Two Young Police Officers Were Killed in the Line of Duty

Two police officers were shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance last week. They are now being remembered by a mourning city as true heroes. 

Jason Rivera, 22, died last Friday during the confrontation. His partner, Wilbert Mora, 27, was critically injured and underwent surgery, but sadly was also announced dead on Tuesday. The shooting was the first time two officers were killed in the line of duty since 2014, when Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn. 

Last week three officers, including Mora and Rivera, responded to a 911 call made by a mother who said she was having a dispute with one of her sons in her apartment in Harlem. The officers arrived at the apartment and were led to a back room where her other son, Lashawn McNeil, was waiting. “The door swings open and numerous shots are fired, striking both officers,” according to NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig. The third officer then fatally shot McNeil when he attempted an escape. 

Officers Mora and Rivera, who worked at the 32nd Precinct, were both Latinos and native New Yorkers who were dedicated to making the city a better place. They are sorely missed by their fellow officers and their community. Officer Rivera dedicated himself to reforming community and police relations, after seeing his brother pulled from a taxi and frisked for no apparent reason when he was younger. Officer Mora also sought to do the same, while studying community policing as a student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. 

Professor Irina Zakirova taught one of Officer Mora’s classes, and said he was excited to join the Police Department. “He even wrote his final research paper examining the effectiveness of proactive and reactive policing in reducing crime, discussing the effects of stop and frisk, and community policing in New York City,” she said. “I recall discussing his paper with him, and I found him to be very knowledgeable about the history of policing and police reforms in New York City.” 

When he first started in the police force, Officer Rivera was eager to do any job he could. “Jason wanted to be out there, really doing the job and interacting with the public,” said the 32nd Precinct’s commanding officer Inspector Amir Yakatally. “He would volunteer for any assignment and step up and take the dirtiest jobs and most difficult tasks given, just for the chance to learn and serve.”

Officer Rivera’s brother, Jeffrey Rivera, recalls how when he worked at a pharmacy with his brother, Officer Rivera would deliver medications to older patients by bicycle without being asked. “This kid was just out of this world,” Jeffrey Rivera said. “My brother was dedication, he was the definition of integrity. He was joy.” 

Hundreds of police officers lined 5th avenue this week during Officer Rivera’s funeral, standing in sub-freezing temperatures in a moving scene to pay their respects to the young officer, who had only been serving for a little over a year. Officers and people from around the world traveled to attend his funeral. JoAnn Pappert drove for an hour to listen to the service. Even though she had never met him, she felt compelled to go when she heard of his approach to policing. “What he had in mind was something beautiful. It was something peaceful,” she said. “He wanted to unite the community with the police department that, you know, has been struggling. I was really deeply touched by his vision.”

A large memorial was set up in front of Officer Mora’s apartment complex, with bouquets of white flowers and over nine dozen blue candles, many of which were lit by officers stationed outside. A group of officers from the 32nd Precinct stood at the memorial reading notes that were left for Officer Mora, eventually embracing in a circle and holding each other while they walked away. A neighbor, Linder Williams, 68, also brought a blue candle, and was deeply saddened by his loss. “Everybody’s so heartbroken,” she said. “It was such a good family. I cried, I’ll tell you, It’s such a loss.”

Officer Mora’s family had his organs donated when it became clear he would not survive. He helped to save five people’s lives with his donated organs. “Wilbert is 3 times a hero,” said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell on Twitter. “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 and our hearts are heavy.”

Officer Mora’s wake and funeral are planned for next week, also at St Patrick’s Cathedral. 

“Officer Mora and his partner, Officer Jason Rivera, showed courage in the face of imminent danger to protect New Yorers,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “Their bravery exemplified their commitment to protecting the city they loved. Both will forever be remembered as heroes who dedicated their lives to making New York safer and stronger.”