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NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora was expected to undergo a second surgery as he struggled to survive the shooting that took his partner’s life, according to police and union sources.
Mora, 27, who sources said had a bullet lodged in his brain and who already had been through one procedure, remained in very critical condition at Harlem Hospital Saturday, sources said. His partner, Jason Rivera, 22, died late Friday after the two were ambushed by a paroled felon during a domestic call in Harlem.
Mora, who is single and has been on the job since 2018, is “in for a long struggle, but we’re hoping he makes it through that struggle,” Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch said outside the hospital. “He’s a strong kid. So we’re hopeful that one day you will be here, and we walk him out.”
Mora’s mother and other family members arrived at the hospital Saturday afternoon. A cousin who did not identify herself said he was doing “very bad,” and said his mother was with him, but offered no other comments.
Lynch said he tried to comfort family members of both officers.
“Sometimes you just give a shoulder, because there is no words that any of us can give to take their pain away,” he said. “To a family that lost a member, their lives are changed forever. You’re there just for support. You’re there to help them with whatever they need. Sometimes they’ll talk, sometimes we’ll sit, sometimes we’ll pray. You do the best you can.”
Mayor Adams and Cardinal Timothy Dolan were among a steady stream of family members, friends and police officers visiting the hospital.
While most declined to comment, Adams, a former cop, said, “I just want to save my energy for prayers for my fellow officer. Once you wear that uniform you never forget this job.”
“I just want to love and pray and hug the family, and let them know that people of faith are with them, and that fear is useless,” Dolan told NY1.
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