The man who police say ambushed two New York City officers, killing one and critically injuring another, has died in a Harlem hospital, authorities said.
Lashawn McNeill, 47, died Monday after being shot in the head and arm by a third officer during Friday’s deadly encounter in a Harlem apartment, police said. Officers were responding to a 911 call placed by McNeill’s mother, who said her son was acting out and threatening her, authorities said.
Rookie Officer Jason Rivera, 22, died after McNeill opened fire, police said. Wilbert Mora, 27, who joined the force in 2018, is in critical condition after being shot in the face, authorities said.
At about 6:30 p.m. Friday, as Rivera and Mora approached a back bedroom in the apartment, McNeill opened the room’s door and began shooting with a .45-caliber fitted with a magazine that could hold 40 rounds, police said. The weapon had been reported stolen in 2017 in Baltimore, where McNeill lived, authorities said.
The man was in New York to help care for his mother, who had recently undergone surgery, investigators said.
Since the shooting, hundreds of officers and New York Fire Department responders have held nightly vigils for Mora, who is fighting for his life in a Manhattan hospital.
Police from surrounding areas have also journeyed to New York City to show support.
Officers searching the bedroom where McNeill had been barricaded said they found a loaded AR-15 assault rifle under the bed.
The man’s mother said she did not know her son had brought weapons into the house, authorities said.
A wake for Rivera is scheduled for Thursday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan.