NEW YORK—Fifth Avenue in Manhattan fell silent as pallbearers carried the flag-draped casket of NYPD officer Jason Rivera up the steps of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral on the morning of Jan. 27.
The only notable sounds came from a police helicopter hovering above and “Amazing Grace” played on a single bagpipe.
Hundreds of New York’s finest stood down the center of the avenue, wearing their class-A dress uniforms with white gloves, saluting their fallen brother. All had black, mourning bands across their shields.
Rivera was shot and killed in the line of duty on Jan. 21, while responding to a domestic dispute involving a mother and her son in the Harlem section of Manhattan.
A motorcycle escort preceded the hearse and a mounted unit was on hand.
The NYPD had officers working the detail, including uniformed and plain-clothed cops, a K-9 unit, the Patrol Services Bureau, Emergency Services, and a few officers carrying AR rifles.
A police color guard stood on the sidewalk directly in front of the church. Firefighters from the FDNY were present as well.
Two other officers, including Wilbert Mora, also responded to the call. Mora was shot as well. The 27-year-old succumbed to his wounds on Jan. 25.
On Twitter the NYPD posted, “In his final act of service Officer Wilbert Mora saved the lives of five people thanks to his organ donation.”
Shortly after the shootings on the night of Jan. 21, Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD executives gave a press conference from Harlem Hospital, which was live-streamed on Facebook.
“Tonight a 22-year-old son, husband, officer, and friend was killed because he did what we asked him to do,” said Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell as she began the conference.
“It is our city against the killers,” said Adams who was once an NYPD officer and retired as a captain.
Mora will have a wake on Feb. 2 with a funeral on Feb. 3, both at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
