New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) delivered heartfelt words Wednesday morning at fallen NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora’s funeral, offering prayer for Mora’s mother and pledging to triumph over “senseless violence.”
“We pray for you,” Adams said to Mora’s mother, Amalia, as he spoke from the lecturn at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. “We lift you up in the support that you need.”
Adams, who at the start of his address proclaimed, “Hear us, Lord,” also spoke to other members of the family, including Mora’s father and siblings. But it was his words and praise for Mora — and his gratitude for the 27-year-old late cop’s service — that was most notable.
“The city thanks you, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you,” Adams said, speaking to Mora.
The scene outside the procession, a sea of blue comprised of police officers coalescing to pay their respects, was reminiscent of last Friday’s funeral for Jason Rivera, 22, an officer fatally shot alongside Mora.
Officers once again flooded the streets in droves to honor one of their own.
Adams addressed a somber audience, finding cracks through which he could deliver some rays of hope. In addition to praising Mora’s police service, the mayor also highlighted the decision to donate the fallen officer’s organs so that others could have life.
“He donated his organs to five individuals who are now going to have life-saving abilities based on what he did,” he said.
Watch Adams’ eulogy:
Faithwire previously reported that Mora’s family made the incredible decision to help others through these donations. Leonard Achan, president and CEO of LiveOnNY, a nonprofit that orchestrates organ donation across New York City, said the officer’s parents “knew their brave and dedicated son would want to continue to save lives.”
Adams, a retired police officer, also used his eulogy to reiterate his pledge to fight crime and spoke directly to NYPD officers in the process.
“We are going to give you the resources to fight this senseless violence,” he said. “It is the New Yorkers against the killers, and we will not lose. We will protect the city.”
Toward the end of the eulogy, Adams also addressed a third officer involved in the tragic events that led to Mora’s death: NYPD Officer Sumit Sulan.
Sulan rushed to the scene where Lashawn J. McNeil had shot Mora and Rivera. The rookie cop shot McNeil, who later died, and his actions stopped a situation that could have further devolved.
“Before I take my seat, I want us also to reflect on Officer Sumit,” Adams said, noting the cop was willing to walk into deadly danger. “If Officer Summit didn’t take immediate action, we would have lost more civilians and particularly more officers.”
He praised the cop for his “commitment and dedication” and hailed him a hero.
“He’s a hero to save the lives of his fellow officers, and I thank him,” he said and added that he recently met with Sulan. “I asked, ‘What’s next?’… He said, ‘I’m going to put on that uniform, and I’m going to go back, and I’m going to protect my city.”
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