Mourners at the funeral for fallen NYPD Detective Wilbert Mora Tuesday reiterated calls to combat surging gun violence in the Big Apple – as an ocean of blue mourners descended on New York City for a second time in five days.
Delivering a eulogy at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to address rising gun violence, as an off-duty rookie cop became the sixth NYPD officer shot so far this year during an attempted carjacking on his way to work in Queens Tuesday night.
"New Yorkers understand the risk and sacrifice you make every day, and we applaud you for that," Adams told law enforcement. "Our city is going to do more than thank you. We are going to give you the resources to fight this senseless violence. It is New York against the killers, and we will not lose."
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The mayor praised the third officer at the scene the night Mora and his partner, 22-year-old Jason Rivera, were fatally wounded responding to a domestic disturbance call in Harlem on Jan. 21.
Rivera died that night, Mora days later. The third officer, Sumit Sulan, returned fire, striking the suspect. The suspect, identified as Lashawn J. McNeil, also later died of his injuries.
"I stopped to visit him in Queens with his family and saw his commitment and dedication. I say to him he's a hero to save the lives of his fellow officers," Adams said of Sulan. "And I asked, what's next? He straightened that question mark with an exclamation point. He said, ‘I'm going to put on that uniform and I'm going to go back. I'm going to protect my city.’ We will win this fight. We will win it together."
Adams praised Mora’s bravery and noted that as an organ donor, he posthumously saved the lives of five strangers.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell posthumously promoted Mora to detective first grade.
"The story of the NYPD and this city is revered because when we are tested, we triumph," Sewell said. "It's riveting because when we are battered, we get up. The incomprehensible tragedy of this loss, this execution, devastates a family, rocks the soul of a department, touches the heart of a nation, and tests the faith of this city. But the NYPD stands tall. We always do."
Of Mora's family, his sister, Karina Mora, brother, Wilson Mora, and cousin, Claribel Jiminian, also spoke. More's family emigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republican when he was 7.
Mora’s flag-draped casket was transported to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan Tuesday, as mourners gathered for the 27-year-old’s wake. Thousands of law enforcement officers created what officials described as an "ocean of blue" gathering outside St. Patrick's Cathedral last week for Rivera's funeral.
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Delivering her husband’s eulogy last week, Rivera’s widow, Dominique Luzuriaga Rivera, called out newly elected Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and a system that "continues to fail us."
President Biden is expected to visit New York City Thursday to meet with Adams and discuss gun violence.
So far this year, six NYPD officers have been shot, two of them fatally.
The same day as Mora’s wake, an off-duty 22-year-old cop was shot during an attempted carjacking in Queens Tuesday night. His injuries are not expected to be life-threatening, police said.
Sewell and Adams were at Jamaica Hospital early Wednesday for a press conference about the incident.
The mayor called on lawmakers to "do their job," describing how officers are "watching a revolving door of violent people" return to the streets.
"This young man was on his way to work. On his way to protect New Yorkers from criminals like the two who were arrested today," Sewell said. "The police department is well past standing at podiums telling people there are too many illegal guns on the street and far too many people carrying them ready to pull the trigger."
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The officer was in his personal vehicle on his way to work and stopped at a traffic light when two males, one armed with a handgun, approached his car around 10:18 p.m. They intended to rob the driver, police said. The officer exited the car, and one suspect fired, striking the officer in a shoulder.
The officer returned fire but did not strike anyone, police said. The two males fled on foot.
Uniformed officers from the 100th Precinct heard the sound of gunfire and rushed to the scene, began rendering aid to the wounded officer and radioed a description out of the suspects.
Three blocks away, officers attempted to pull over two males matching the description. As officers approached the vehicle, one of the suspects fired a single bullet that struck the unmarked patrol car. Officers did not return fire and apprehended the suspects after a brief foot pursuit, police said.
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"The officers who responded to this incident after being fired upon continue to do their job," Adams told reporters at the hospital early Wednesday. "Out of all the frustration they’re receiving of watching a revolving door of violent people, these officers every day put on their uniforms, put that shield on their chests, put that bulletproof vest on and go back into the streets. With all of that frustration, they still go back and do their job. Now it’s time for lawmakers to do their jobs."
"On Thursday, we are going to have the president of the United States here in our city, and we are going to lay out clear items on the federal level, just as we did with state lawmakers," the mayor continued. "Everyone must be on the same team."
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