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One Officer Fatally Shot, Another "Fighting For His Life" In Harlem
By
Jen Chung
and
David Cruz
Published Jan 21, 2022
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By
Jen Chung
and
David Cruz
Published Jan 21, 2022
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One officer was fatally shot while another was in critical condition in Harlem Friday night after police responded to a domestic dispute involving a mother and her son. The son opened fire on officers without warning, officials said.
"I am struggling to find the words to express the tragedy we are enduring," Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a briefing at Harlem Hospital. She said the officer in critical condition was "fighting for his life."
"We are mourning and we are angry," Sewell said, in front of scores of solemn police officers.
Police officers at Harlem Hospital on January 21, 2022
Officers responded to the dispute at roughly 6:15 p.m. on West 135th Street, near Lenox Avenue. Police said the shooter, LaShawn McNeil, 47, was shot by responding officers and was in surgery as of 10:30 p.m. Friday. Sewell said the officers were trying to talk to the mother and her son when McNeil, her other son, "suddenly, without warning, opened fire on them ... It is beyond comprehension."
Officer Jason Rivera, 22, was identified as the officer fatally shot during the confrontation. Another officer, identified as Wilbert Mora, was wounded and rushed to Harlem Hospital.
Mayor Eric Adams, who had come to the hospital after attending a vigil for an 11-month-old baby shot earlier this week, said Friday's shooting was an "attack on the city of New York. It is an attack on the children and families in this city."
He repeated his plea from recent days for more federal resources to stop the flow of guns onto city streets, which he said the federal government has failed to curb. Police said McNeil used a stolen 9 mm handgun that was registered in Baltimore.
"Let me be clear — there are no gun manufacturers in New York City," Adams said. "We don't make guns here. How are we moving thousands of guns off the street and they are still finding their ways onto the streets of New York City and into the hands of killers?"
Police on West 125th Street in Harlem, January 21, 2022
Officials gave conflicting information in the immediate hours after the incident and multiple news outlets initially reported sources saying both shootings were fatal. Police told reporters at the briefing that one officer, 27, was in critical condition. The officer who died was 22 and had been on the job since November of 2020.
Police on West 135th Street, January 21, 2022
Police flooded the neighborhood throughout the night and 135th Street was blocked off as a crowd of onlookers gathered in the frigid cold trying to discern what was happening. A stream of uniformed and plainclothes officers gathered on the second floor of the hospital.
Adams, a former police captain who won the election last year campaigning to make New York City safer, has been met with a barrage of high-profile crimes before his first month in office has even concluded.
These are the third and fourth police officers to be shot this week; a police officer is expected to recover after being shot while executing a narcotics warrant on Staten Island on Thursday, and a police officer was shot in the leg in Brooklyn on Tuesday. On January 1st, Adams' first day as mayor, an off-duty officer was grazed by a bullet in East Harlem and the violence has persisted through his first weeks in office.
In addition to the attacks on officers, a 19-year-old Burger King employee was fatally shot during a robbery in East Harlem on January 9th. Less than a week later, a woman died after being shoved into the path of an oncoming train at the Times Square subway station. And on Thursday, an 11-month-old baby was shot in the face when she was caught in the crossfire of two men in The Bronx.
"It is our city against the killers," Adams said from the hospital Friday night, adding later, "We need Washington to join us and act now to stop the flow of guns."
Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted her condolences: "My heart is with Harlem, the officers and their families, and @NYPDnews after tonight’s tragic shooting. My team is ready to support @NYCMayor in any way necessary."
Police officers at Harlem Hospital on January 21, 2022
Kyle Jiggets, 63, who was among the onlookers, said, "I feel safe. I've been here my whole life, 54 years [but] you just gotta be careful, in certain areas, but that's everywhere. I go to The Bronx sometimes, same thing. I go to Brooklyn sometimes, same thing. It's not just Harlem."
Asked if he thought conditions were worsening, Jiggets pointed to the pandemic: "Covid did it... everybody's messed up, the whole country," he said. "It takes a long time to recover from something like that ... People are depressed, people are anxious."
Firefighters pay tribute to the police officer who was killed in a shooting in Harlem on January 21, 2022
Firefighters and police officers saluted the ambulance carrying the body of the slain officer as it left Harlem Hospital before midnight.
Firefighters pay tribute to the police officer who was killed in a shooting in Harlem on January 21, 2022
During his remarks, Adams recalled when one of his own colleagues on the force was killed in the line of duty, and implored the dozens of officers gathered to remain committed to the job.
"No matter how painful this moment is, don’t give up on the people of this city," he said.
Brigid Bergin and Jake Offenhartz contributed reporting. This is a breaking news story and is being updated with the latest information.
Tagged
gun violence
nypd
harlem
eric adams
police shooting
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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