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NYPD Cop Killed, Second Officer Clings to Life After Shooting in Harlem Apartment

An NYPD rookie cop was shot dead and another officer left clinging to life after being ambushed “suddenly, without warning” during a domestic disturbance call involving a mother and son Friday evening in Harlem, authorities said.

The slain officer, Jason Rivera, was just 22 and started on the job in 2020, police said. The gravely injured cop, 27-year-old Wilbert Mora, joined the force in 2018.

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The officers were among four cops shot in the line of duty just this week.

“This is an attack on the city of New York,” Mayor Eric Adams said of the violence, speaking at a press briefing at Harlem Hospital where the extremely critical cop was being treated.

“It is time for us to save our city,” the mayor said. “No one will divide this city with their violence.”

Authorities said the officers, along with a third cop, went to an apartment at 119 West 135th Street at around 6:15 p.m. after getting a call from a mother about needing help with her son, identified as 47-year-old Lashawn McNeil.

Lashawn McNeil

The woman “mentioned no injuries and no weapons,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.

After speaking to the mom, two of the officers walked to the back of the apartment, down a narrow hallway toward a back bedroom.

That’s when McNeil swung the door open and fired, striking both officers, Essig said.

“He suddenly, without warning, opened fire on them,” shaken NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters.

When McNeil tried to flee, the third officer opened fire, striking him in the head and arm, police said. He was undergoing surgery late Friday.

Recovered at the scene was a Glock .45 with high-capacity magazine that holds up to 40 additional rounds. It had been reported stolen in Baltimore, said Essig.

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“It’s crazy out here. It’s the Wild Wild West, especially with cops being shot. Imagine what happens with regular citizens,” Christopher Espinoza, a 29-year-old Harlem resident, told The Post.

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The tragedy came just a day after an NYPD detective was shot and injured during a drug bust on Staten Island.

Dominick Libretti, the injured detective, suffered a potential “career-ending injury” when a suspect fired “numerous shots” at police through a bedroom door, according to sources.

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