Second NYC officer dies after weekend shooting

A second New York Police Department (NYPD) officer has died after being shot in Harlem while responding to a Friday night 911 call.

The NYPD announced on Tuesday that Wilbert Mora, 27, died after responding to a domestic dispute. Mora, in critical condition, was transferred from the Harlem Hospital to NYU Langone Medical Center on Sunday.

NYPD officer Jason Rivera, 22, was also killed as a result of Friday’s shooting in Harlem. 

“Today, we mourn the loss of Police Officer Wilbert Mora. At 27-year-old, he was murdered in the line of duty —  fighting until the very end,” the NYPD wrote on Twitter. “We vow to #neverforget Wilbert and will always honor his legacy of service and ultimate sacrifice,”

New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Mora was “3 times a hero” for pursuing a career of service, sacrificing his life to safeguard others and “giving life even in death through organ donation.”

“Our heads are bowed & our hearts are heavy,” Sewell added on Twitter. 

New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Tuesday said the city is “dealing with a sea of violence.”

He reiterated his plans to reintroduce a “modified version” of plainclothes response units, which The New York Times reported were dissolved from the city in 2020 amid criticism that the program initiated use of force against Black and Latino individuals.

Adams said officers will be better trained in the new version of the initiative.

The mayor urged congressional lawmakers to pass gun reform legislation following the shooting, saying, “we need Washington to join us and act now to stop the flow of guns in New York City and cities like New York.” 

President Biden called Adams on Tuesday, before news broke of the second officer’s death, to express his condolences for the shooting on Friday.

“President Biden reiterated his admiration for the brave men and women of law enforcement who risk their lives on a daily basis to protect our communities, including the deputy killed in Houston and the officer wounded in Washington, D.C.,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.

“He expressed his firm support for Mayor Adams’s efforts to combat gun violence and violent crime,” she added. “During the call, the president also reiterated his commitment to serve as a strong federal partner for New York City and other cities grappling with the increase in gun crime we’ve seen over the past two years.”