New York police Commissioner Keechant Sewell posthumously promoted an officer killed last week in Harlem as his family and colleagues mourned him during a Friday funeral.
Officer Jason Rivera, 22, died Jan. 22 after responding to a domestic disturbance at a Harlem resident. A second officer who was shot, Wilbert Mora, 27, died of his injuries Tuesday.
Sewell announced Rivera’s promotion to detective first grade Friday afternoon in a tweet along with a photo of his new badge.
“Police officer Jason Rivera rose to every challenge that crossed his path. He was everything that the city and NYPD needed him to be. It is with sincere admiration and appreciation that I promote him to detective first grade,” she said.
Kentucky state trooper shot; suspect apprehended, authorities say
The New York Police Department on Thursday escorted Rivera’s flag-draped coffin to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where his funeral was held Friday.
Rivera’s widow, Dominique Luzuriaga, delivered his eulogy. The two were married in October after knowing each other since grade school.
“Today, I’m still in this nightmare that I wish I never had, full of rage and anger, hurt, sad and torn,” she said. “Although I gained thousands of blue brothers and sisters, I’m the loneliest without you.”
Luzuriaga used her time at the pulpit to address concerns Rivera had with the city’s criminal justice system.
“The system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore, not even members of service. I know you were tired of these laws, especially from ones from the new DA. I hope he is watching you speak through me right now. I’m sure all of our blue family is tired, too. But I promise your death won’t be in vain. We’ll take the watch from here,” she said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a retired NYPD officer, also eulogized Rivera, quoting the Bible.
“It takes courage to put on a uniform and a badge, to answer the call, to serve the cause of justice in every sense of the word,” he said. “This is a biblical moment. Scripture states: ‘Greater love have no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
“Jason was the first person in his family to become a police officer. As I thought about him, I could not help but to reflect on my life: Disappointed in my observation, but watching the desire of the police department to build new bridges; he decided to go inside and help from within.
“He did it for the right reasons: He wanted to make a difference, he wanted to become a police officer.”
Other leaders in attendance included New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Sewell, city Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
Rivera was expected to be laid to rest at a cemetery in Westchester County.
Mora’s viewing and funeral are scheduled to take place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the NYPD.
Copyright 2022 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.
—-
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.
And cop cars had tires slashed while inside paying respect. This is the NY the democrats have connived so hard to create. It won’t stop until the politicians suffer the same grief that everyone else is suffering . But it may already be too late for redemption.
The penalty for committing crime has to be severe enough to stop it. The disrespect and irreverence being shown outside the cathedral where the funeral was being held is a sad testament that should hang over the heads of every Liberal politician who encourages such behavior.
That’s what we unfortunately, have done to OURSELVES… FOR Far too long, we’ve been pushing the “WE need to be kinder” to crooks mentality.. WE NEED TO GET back to medieval ways, where THERE WAS A DETERRENCE to being a criminal;..
I wrote a commentary/op-ed column for a few decades which appeared, at various times, in four newspapers. Because of the column, plus two others I wrote during the same time frame, I received many tips on various happenings, good and bad. i have to say this is the best example of low class I’ve seen or heard of, and, believe me, that’s saying a lot.
Has the tire slashing been verified? I ask not because I doubt, but because this is the first I’ve heard of this atrocity.
I have verified it on a # of news sites.. Though it seems to be less than half a dozen that got slashed…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/vandal-slashes-tires-on-four-police-vehicles-outside-harlem-nypd-stationhouse-holding-vigil-for-slain-cops/ar-AATd772
https://www.foxnews.com/us/nypd-tires-slashed-vigil-officers-jason-rivera-wilbert-mora
Thanks, Ituser.
God Bless you, Dominique Luzuriaga and God Bless your husband, a true hero, unlike the liberal voters in New York who are the “useful idiots”, who vote in communist traitors, who destabilize / destroy civilized society! The “stellar” resumes of stupid politicians or “stupid is as stupid does”.
I’d have been up there, asking “WHO THE HELL INVITED YOUR SORRY BUTT to this funeral.. BECAUSE IF IT Wasn’t for your insane ideology, CODDLING THESE crimnials, my husband would likely STILL BE HERE with me and our kids…
So GET THE HELL OUT of here!”
Your heart has to go out to this girl—it had to take a lot to be able to stand there and deliver a eulogy for her slain husband. Sean Hannity replayed the whole thing on his radio broadcast yesterday afternoon—it was touching. Kudos to all of the police departments that participated in a show of respect and support from across the nation and around the world. Every single person who has ever voiced support for police reform and/or defunding should listen to this eulogy and feel the tearing apart of the humanity of these fallen officers and their loved ones who have had their lives and future experiences taken away from them.
On a side note—there was a TV series a few years ago—NYPD Blue. Dennis Franz starred in it—I really liked that show—it captured the human, vulnerable side of police officers in a special way. To all of you Liberal anti-police idiots out there—you need to wake up and smell the coffee. You need to drop the BS and start supporting the cause for safety, security, and obedience to the law—and support the police officers who have chosen to protect everyday citizens from the ravages of crime and lawlessness.
Finally, a family member of a cop shot on duty has fingered the DA and others for fostering lawlessness. Defund prosecutors who refuse to prosecute crimes, not the police!
I am still shocked, he was even ALLOWED to be there.. You’d have thought the family of both cops would have said “HE IS NOT INVITED!”