A second NYPD officer has died from his injuries following a shooting in Harlem last week, Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced in a tweet on Tuesday.
“It’s with great sadness I announce the passing of Police Officer Wilbert Mora,” she wrote.
The 27-year-old officer had been in critical condition after he and his partner, Jason Rivera, were ambushed and gunned down after responding to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance. Mora had served as an officer for four years, joining the NYPD in 2018.
On Friday, Mora, Rivera, and a third officer, Sumit Sulan, arrived at the apartment of a woman who had called police with concerns about her son, Lashawn McNeil. McNeil then allegedly opened fire on Mora and Rivera, striking them both. Sulan returned fire, critically injuring McNeil. All three wounded men were transported to nearby Harlem Hospital, where Rivera, 22, was pronounced dead. Mora was transferred to NYU Langone Medical Center on Sunday. McNeil, 47, also succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
“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,” Sewell tweeted on Tuesday. “Our heads are bowed & our hearts are heavy.”
This marks the first time two NYPD officers have been killed together in the line of duty since 2014 when Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot and killed while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn.
