NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora Remains In Grave Condition At NYU Langone – CBS New
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora remains in grave condition Monday after he and his partner were shot responding to a call for help in Harlem.
Mora, 27, was moved from Harlem Hospital to NYU Langone Medical Center on Sunday. He underwent two surgeries after he was shot in the head Friday.
Mora is fighting for his life inside the hospital. But there’s no building big enough to house the outpouring of hope New Yorkers have for his recovery.
“I hope he pulls through, because this is just terrible to start the new year. I’m thinking of his family and I’m thinking about what they’ve been going through,” Pamela Cooper said.
“Who are we as New York City if we don’t care about the people that serve us, that protect us, that give their lives for us every, single day,” Shayna Smith said.
Sunday, Mora’s brothers in blue lit candles outside the home he and his family share on East 112th Street
In a letter, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine wrote, “I am praying that they find strength and solace amidst the shattering pain.”
Mora joined the NYPD in 2018, the same year he graduated from CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a bachelor’s degree.
Family friend Santo Guerrero told CBS2 he’s known Mora most of his life. He described him as “very humble, loved by the whole world over here.”
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He added, “This kid is like a son to me, and his dad is like a brother to me. I’m in pain, I’m hurting.”
Guerrero said Mora is the youngest sibling, and the family is from the Dominican Republic.
“Very sweet, always said hello, always held the door,” another neighbor said.
“Really, really nice neighbor,” another added.
The shooting suspect, 47-year-old Lashawn McNeil, opened fire on Officer Jason Rivera, a rookie, then Mora.
An online fundraiser has grown well past $250,000. The money will be split between the officers’ families.
Monday evening, a candlelight vigil will be held in Mora’s honor outside the 32nd Precinct.
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McNeil was shot by a third officer on the scene. He underwent surgery and remains in critical condition.
Read More: NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora Remains In Grave Condition At NYU Langone – CBS New