An NYPD officer was fatally shot Friday night while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Harlem.
According to WLNY, the shooting took place around 6:30 p.m. at an apartment complex on West 135th Street and Lenox Avenue. Authorities arrived at the scene after someone reported a dispute between a man and his mother, who was reportedly a correctional officer. Sources told the outlet the man—identified as 47-year-old Lashawn McNeil—took his mom’s service weapon and began firing at police shortly after they arrived.
Officer Jason Rivera, who joined the force in November 2020, was shot and killed during the incident. His partner Wilbert Mora, who’s been with the NYPD since 2018, was also wounded and remains in critical condition. A third officer entered the residence immediately after gunfire erupted, and fatally shot McNeil.
“Around 10 or 15 shots came from behind my building, which is, I’m not going to say not normal, but it’s the occurrence here in Harlem,” a neighbor told the outlet. “It’s been getting bad over the last year or so. I thought they were fireworks.”
According to WLNY, five NYPD officers have been shot in the first several weeks of 2022.
“This is a horrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to the officers, their families and the entire NYPD,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg tweeted. “The officers who serve and protect us risk their lives every day. Violence against police cannot be tolerated.”
NYPD executives and NYC Mayor Eric Adams addressed the deadly incident in a press conference Friday night, confirming the suspect had a criminal history and was out on probation at the time of the shooting.
“It is our city against the killers. This was just not an attack on three brave officers. This was an attack on the City of New York,” the mayor said. “And it’s an attack on the children and the families of this city. And we are not going to win this battle by dividing lines between us. We must save this city together.”
Stay tuned for further developments.
