1 NYPD officer killed, another “fighting for his life” after shooting in Harlem

A 22-year-old NYPD officer was shot and killed Friday night while responding to a call for service in Harlem, city officials said. Another officer was wounded and is “fighting for his life to survive.” 

The incident occurred after a mother called to say she was in a dispute with her son, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a press conference Friday night.  When officers arrived and met with the woman at approximately 6:15 p.m., she said her son was in the back bedroom at the end of a long and narrow hallway. 

As two officers walked down the hall, the door swung upon and “numerous shots were fired,” Essig said. A third officer, who had stayed with the woman, then confronted the suspect and shot him in the arm and the head. 

It’s not yet clear if the suspect survived. He was identified by Essig as 47-year-old Lashawn McNeil. 

Essig said a Glock 45 high-capacity magazine was recovered on the scene. The firearm had been stolen in Baltimore in 2017, he said. 

The slain officer has not been identified, but New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said he was married and 22 years old. 

Sewell said that this is the fifth time this month that an officer has been shot. “I am struggling to find the words to express the tragedy we’re enduring. We’re mourning, and we’re angry,” she said. 

Mayor Eric Adams, who also spoke at the press conference, condemned the attack. 

“It is our city against the killers…” Adams said. “This just was not an attack on three brave officers, this was an attack on the city of New York.”

New York Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also expressed condolences, tweeting that he was “devastated” by the news. 

“Our prayers are with them, their families, and all who loved them,” Schumer said.