Wake for slain NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora begins

Police officers from across the city and throughout the region, along with a parade of everyday New Yorkers, said goodbye Tuesday to Wilbert Mora, the second of two NYPD officers fatally shot during a Jan. 21 domestic dispute in a Harlem apartment.

Mora's flag-draped coffin was carried into St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, where hundreds of mourners attended the slain officer's wake. Last week, a wake and funeral Mass were held at St. Patrick's for Mora’s partner, Jason Rivera, 22.

Paula LaForgia, 64, of Staten Island, came and said a prayer outside the church.

"It’s horrible what happened to them. So young," LaForgia, a retired paraprofessional at a prekindergarten program, said on the verge of tears. " … It’s just a terrible thing. I mean, they didn’t deserve that. They’re doing their job."

Rivera and Mora, 27, who were assigned to the 32nd Precinct in Manhattan, were shot on Jan. 21 while responding to a 911 call from a Harlem woman seeking help with her son, Lashawn McNeil, 47.

Police said McNeil opened fire after Rivera and Mora walked to a bedroom at the rear of the apartment to speak to him. A third officer who had responded to the call, Sumit Sulan, shot McNeil, who died from his wounds three days later.

Rivera died Jan. 21 at Harlem Hospital. Mora died several days later at NYU Langone Medical Center, where he had been transferred, being put on life support so his organs could be recovered for transplant to five individuals.

A funeral Mass for Mora, of Manhattan, is set for Wednesday morning at the iconic midtown cathedral.

Ute Lechmig, 82, of Manhattan, came to show respect for the officer.

"This officer is remarkable — giving his life and giving his organs," said Lechmig, who also attended last week's wake for Rivera. "Remarkable."

Streets around the cathedral were blocked off and guarded by NYPD officers in body armor and helmets — some wearing "Thin Blue Line" mourning bands. Members of the Disorder Control Unit, Bomb Squad and counterterrorism units provided enhanced security.

A Nassau Police Benevolent Association food truck — stenciled on the side were names of cops who died in the line of duty — dispensed meals and snacks.

In the rear of the cathedral was a poster board showing Mora in a collage of photos — in his cap and gown, NYPD uniform and surrounded by family and friends.

At the foot of the altar, Mora laid in an open casket with an NYPD shield, two crosses, his shield number — 15918 — and a small statue of a fallen Jesus collapsed in the arms of Mary. Mora's family and friends congregated in the front pews, wearing rectangular stickers bearing his photo and speaking to mourners.

The wake attracted uniformed personnel from the NYPD, State and MTA police, officers from Long Island and as far as Miami.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell attended the wake Tuesday afternoon and Mayor Eric Adams visited the church in the evening.

Capt. George Leppard of West Hempstead, with the Malverne police reserves, attended the wake with fellow officer, Frank Vicari of Franklin Square.

"It really hit us hard. It hits everybody hard," Leppard said of the officers' deaths. "The whole country. The whole world."

Vicari said it's important for officers to demonstrate that "as long as you wear a uniform and a badge, you should know that if you see one of us, you're seeing all of us."

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman attended the wake and met with Mora's family.

"It was a very sad … but you could see the solidarity for Officer Mora and his family," said Blakeman. "So many people were willing to come out and show their support; not just in the uniformed services but regular common New Yorkers."

Mora was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the United States at a young age, his family seeking a better life, his friend, Rashad Mujumder of the Bronx, told Newsday last month.

Mora 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.

Lou Bernardi of New Hyde Park, the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, said it should not take a tragedy to bring out NYPD supporters.

"Hopefully this gives us all a light and shows us, as a community, that … these officers are here to protect us," said Bernardi, who attended the wake. "And we need to make sure that stuff like this doesn't happen again,"

Thousands bid farewell last week at St. Patrick's to Rivera, who was on the job just over a year and had married his childhood sweetheart three months earlier.

Sewell posthumously promoted Rivera to detective first-grade, a tradition for officers who die in the line of duty that typically increases death benefits to their families.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com,matthew.chayes@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert,

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.