One New York City Police Department officer was fatally shot and another was “fighting for his life” after they were attacked while responding to a domestic violence call in Harlem on Friday.
NYPD officials have confirmed the death of 22-year-old officer Jason Rivera, who joined the force in 2020.
A suspect, identified by police as Lashawn McNeil, was shot by police and is in critical condition.
The weapon allegedly used by the suspect was a reportedly stolen Glock 45 pistol with a high-capacity magazine for up to 40 additional rounds, according to police.
Mayor Eric Adams has characterised the shootings as “an attack on the city of New York.”
“It is an attack on the children and families of this city,” he told reporters outside Harlem Hospital late on Friday.
He urged federal officials to help stop the flow of illegal weapons into the city.
“We are not going to live under the gun of dangerous people in New York City,” he said.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said she is “struggling to find the words to express the tragedy we are enduring.”
“We’re mourning and we’re angry,” she said. “Our department is hurting. Our city is hurting. It is beyond comprehension. I am not sure what words, if any, will carry the weight of this moment and what we are feeling.”
The NYPD officers are third and fourth to be shot in the line of duty this week.
“My heart is with Harlem, the officers and their families, and [NYPD] after tonight’s tragic shooting,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Twitter. “My team is ready to support [Mayor Adams] in any way necessary.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement late on Friday that “all of New York state is in mourning tonight.”
“As we await the facts, my office may assert jurisdiction in this matter. We pray for the safety of our police and our communities,” she said.
The shootings on 21 January come one day after a detective suffered what officials called a potential “career-ending injury” after he was shot in the leg. On Tuesday, an officer was shot in the leg during an incident in The Bronx.
A total of five NYPD officers have been shot within the first few weeks of 2022.
In his address to the US Conference of Mayors this week, Mayor Adams – who was inaugurated on 1 January – focused his attention on the realities of crime and public safety concerns, on the heels of a random attack on a Times Square subway platform that gripped the nation’s attention.
The last NYPD officer fatally shot in the line of duty, Brian Mulkeen, was hit by friendly fire while struggling with an armed man after chasing and shooting at him in the Bronx in September 2019.
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