TWO COPS SHOT IN HARLEM, ONE DIED

NYPD cop, suspect killed, officer clings to life after shooting in Harlem apartment 

 

By Joe Marino, Craig McCarthy, Larry Celona and Jesse O’Neill

 

New York Post

January 21, 2022

 

 

                        

             Lawshawn McNeil, who shot the cops, was shot dead

 

 

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, according to numerous law-enforcement sources. The gravely injured cop, 27, joined the force in 2018. 

“It’s bad,” a police source said of the second officer’s condition.

One of the cops was shot in the face, sources said.

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 47-year-old son, identified as 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.

 

The scene where two NYPD cops were shot in Harlem on Jan. 21, 2022

 

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.

Audio recordings of police radio calls captured cops frantically calling for a transport for the injured officers from the scene.

Family members of the victims arrived at the hospital around 7:40 p.m., along with the NYPD’s ceremonial unit, who were clad in full dress uniforms.

“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.

“This is terrible for the police,” said Bryan, 56, a longtime Harlem resident of 27 years who lives up the block from the shooting and didn’t want to give his last name.

“I just want to live in peace… It’s terrible,” he added. “There’s too many guns on the street. There’s not enough humanity between us, whatever side you’re on.”

The unidentified officers are the fourth and fifth members of the NYPD to be injured by gunfire so far in 2022.

“Countless officers lined this hallway after carrying him in and grieve for their brother while praying with everything they have for the other” officer, Sewell said at the hospital. “I am struggling to find the words to express the tragedy we are enduring. We’re mourning, and we’re angry.”

“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,” Gov. Hochul said in a statement on Twitter.

State Attorney General Letitia James also released a statement saying: “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.”

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.

A 10-year-veteran, Libretti “received numerous medals and commendations” and had never fired his weapon before Thursday, sources said.

On Tuesday, Officer Kaseem Pennant was shot in the leg while struggling with a teenage suspect in The Bronx.

He was released from the hospital hours later as dozens of uniformed members of the department cheered him on.

On New Year’s Day, Officer Keith Wagenhauser was hit with bullet fragments as he sat in his car outside an East Harlem police station after his shift. He was expected to make a full recovery.

The last NYPD member to be killed on the job was Officer Brian Mulkeen, who was hit by friendly fire during a hand-to-hand struggle with a suspect in The Bronx in the fall of 2019. 

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