Slain NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora remembered as a giant 'teddy bear' and rising star at his funeral

NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora was remembered Wednesday at his funeral Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral as a giant "teddy bear," a rising star in the department, and one of a "new breed" of cop intent on healing rifts between police and communities.

The 6-foot-3 Mora was a big man in more ways than one, family members and New York City officials said during the service at the iconic midtown Manhattan cathedral. The 27-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic also had a deep reservoir of compassion, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.

Sewell told the thousands of NYPD officers and other mourners who gathered to give the slain cop a hero’s farewell: "Wilbert served this department bravely, honorably, as a colossal symbol of promise," and he would be remembered "Not for the size of his frame, but for the goodness of his heart."

Sewell, who took office Jan. 1, also bemoaned that officers were, once again, attending a police funeral, saying, "An ocean of officers shouldn’t have to line streets for the second time in five days."

The service for Mora followed a funeral Mass at St. Patrick’s for his partner, Officer Jason Rivera, 22. The two were shot Jan. 21 as they responded to a domestic disturbance in Harlem.

Inspector Amir Yakatally, who is in charge of the 32nd Precinct where Mora and Rivera were assigned, said Mora represented a new NYPD, one that embraced reform and was eager to build fruitful relationships with the communities it served.

"Let’s not forget how important his contribution to our society is, let’s not forget his sacrifice," Yakatally said. "He was a son of our city, a new breed of officers, child of the change you asked for. He was the American dream. He was what you asked for and you hoped for in your police officers."

Thousands of police officers, some coming from as far away as Bahrain, traveled to New York to honor Mora. Mayor Eric Adams vowed to combat the gun violence that has resulted in five NYPD officers dead or wounded since Jan. 1, including an off-duty cop shot and wounded during a carjacking attempt in Queens on Tuesday.

"Those of us who have put on the uniform know what happened to Officer Mora could happen to us any day," said Adams, a former NYPD captain, who is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday to discuss solutions to the surge in gun violence.

Mora’s grieving sister Karina Mora condemned the violence against cops, saying her brother and Rivera had joined the NYPD to improve relations between police and communities — a calling that cost them their lives.

"How many Wilberts? How many Jasons?" she asked, speaking to the mourners in Spanish. "How many officers must lose their lives so that this system changes?"

Sewell announced during the funeral that Mora had been promoted posthumously to detective first grade and presented his family with a detective’s shield. Rivera was also posthumously promoted to detective, a tradition for line-of-duty deaths that boosts benefits for officers' families.

"Detectives Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera were gifts we never got to keep," Sewell said.

Mora and Rivera were shot when they responded to a 911 call from a Harlem woman seeking help with her son, Lashawn McNeil, 47. McNeil opened fire after Rivera and Mora entered a bedroom at the rear of the apartment to speak to him, police said. A third officer who had responded to the call, Sumit Sulan, shot McNeil, who died from his wounds three days later.

Adams praised Sulan for his response, saying he may have saved additional lives, both cops and civilians. "He is a hero who saved the lives of his fellow officers, and I thank him," Adams said.

Rivera died the night of the shooting at Harlem Hospital while Mora, who was on life support at NYU Langone Medical Center so his organs could be donated, died several days later. Both officers were Roman Catholic and lived in Manhattan.

Patrick Lynch, president of New York PBA, praised Mora's family for deciding to donate his organs. "Realize the courageous decision that you made," Lynch told Amalia Mora, the slain cop's mother, "that no one in this church would want to face and may not have the courage to do, know that you have now given renewed life to five other people."

Yakatally said Mora looked out for younger cops, often reviewing their paperwork to make sure they had completed it correctly.

"If you were going through a hard time and needed a friend to lean on or a shoulder to cry on, Wilbert would be on FaceTime, lending that support," Yakatally said. "He was also very generous with his hugs."

The Mora family moved from the Dominican Republic to New York in search of opportunity when Mora was 7 years old, but he always knew he wanted to join the NYPD. Mora later attended the High School for Graphic Communication Arts in Manhattan and joined the NYPD in 2018 after receiving a bachelor’s degree from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

"I was always proud of you, you chose a life of service to your community in our adopted country," said Wilson Mora, the slain officer’s brother.

"You fellow officers were not only co-workers, they were friends and family. And now they are my family. I love you, baby bro, and I will always miss you."

The shooting, Wilson Mora said, dashed plans he had to travel and camp with his younger brother. "I wanted to experience the adventure with you because your love for life was infectious," Wilson Mora said.

Photos of Mora, including his formal NYPD picture, decorated the front of the St. Patrick’s Cathedral, along with a floral arrangement with his shield number — 15918.

Security near the cathedral was significantly beefed up compared to Rivera’s funeral. Fifth Avenue was closed for about 10 blocks, with more police barricades and metal gates blocking off the sidewalks surrounding the cathedral than last week’s funeral Mass. Mourners were searched with metal-detecting wands, a security measure that was not taken at Rivera’s funeral.

The New York City Detectives Endowment Association said in a statement that the beefed-up security was in response to online threats made by a man with a history of threatening violence against police officers.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakman said the dome of the executive building in Mineola would be lit blue Wednesday night to honor Mora, while unions representing Long Island police officers condemned the attacks on cops and expressed sorrow for the Mora family’s loss.

"We honor his legacy and courage by standing united with our brothers and sisters in the NYPD, and we will always be here to support his family, loved ones, and all those mourning this senseless loss at the hands of a murderer," said Noel DiGerolamo, president of the Suffolk Police Benevolent Association.

Nassau PBA president Tommy Shevin said his members will never forget Mora’s sacrifice. "We grieve together with our brothers and sisters in the NYPD and all those who have been impacted by this tragic loss," Shevlin said.

At the conclusion of the funeral Mass, the cathedral’s bronze doors opened to Fifth Avenue and thousands of police officers and fellow mourners filed outside. A wall of police officers surrounded the church and stood in front of Rockefeller Center as church bells chimed and mourners sang "God Bless America."

Eight helicopters flew over the cathedral and nearby skyscrapers. The coffin was draped in a green, white and blue NYPD flag and carried to a waiting hearse.

Mora was buried at a cemetery in Queens later on Wednesday, but the pain caused by his death will hang over New York for years, the mayor said.

"Even when the bullet hits the body of our own citizens, the emotional trauma continues to rip the anatomy of our city," Adams said, "and the pathway never ends for generations to come."