One New York police officer is dead and another is in critical condition after a suspect in a domestic disturbance opened fire Friday evening inside a Harlem apartment, authorities said.
Police identified the slain officer as Jason Rivera, and the New York Police Department (NYPD) said on Twitter it was mourning “the loss of a hero officer – a son, husband, and friend.”
“Only 22 years old, Police Officer Jason Rivera was murdered in the line of duty,” the NYPD said.
The wounded officer was identified by police as 27-year-old Wilbert Mora, and police said he had undergone surgery. Asked for an update in a news conference Saturday, Mayor Eric Adams said Mora was “still fighting for his life.”
“At this moment it’s about prayers. We need New Yorkers to pray for the well-being of this officer that we should all be proud of,” Adams said.
Rivera and Mora are the fourth and fifth New York Police Department officers to be shot in the city this month, according to officials. Friday night’s incident was the first in which an officer was killed.
The incident unfolded as officers were responding to a domestic call at 6:15 p.m. in Harlem, officials said. A woman called 911 and reported she was having a dispute with one of her sons inside her apartment, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said in a news conference late Friday at Harlem Hospital.
Shortly after, three NYPD officers arrived at the apartment and met the mother and another