'Three Times A Hero’: Second NYPD Officer Dies After Shooting

Megan VerHelst
Updated ·5 min read
New York Police Department officers salute during the transfer of the remains of Officer Wilbert Mora outside the NYU Langone hospital in New York on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Police Department officers salute during the transfer of the remains of Officer Wilbert Mora outside the NYU Langone hospital in New York on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Wednesday, Jan. 26. After a weekend shooting that took the life of one New York Police Department officer, another officer died Tuesday. He was 27 years old. Here are the other stories we’re following today:

  • Pfizer is enrolling adults in a study for its new omicron vaccine.

  • A Michigan superintendent actually had to reassure parents that students who identify as cats don't have to use litter boxes.

  • A Florida man recently proved he'll go to great lengths to protect his dogs.

  • An openly transgender "Jeopardy" contestant earned the No. 2 spot in all-time consecutive wins Monday.

Another New York City police officer has died after being shot Friday in a Harlem apartment, the NYPD announced Tuesday. Wilbert Mora, 27, died Tuesday.

Mora's fellow officer, 22-year-old Jason Rivera, died shortly after Friday's shooting inside an apartment on West 135th Street. The gunman, Lashawn McNeil, died on Monday after being shot by a third officer in the apartment, police said.

"Wilbert is 3 times a hero," Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a tweet Tuesday afternoon. "For choosing a life of service. For sacrificing his life to protect others. For giving life even in death through organ donation." » 2nd Officer Dies From Harlem Shooting, Commissioner Says, via Harlem Patch

Pfizer Testing Omicron Shots

Pfizer is enrolling healthy adults to test a reformulated COVID-19 vaccine that matches up with the hugely contagious omicron variant, to see how it compares with the original shots. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study Tuesday. » Pfizer Begins Testing Omicron-Matched COVID Shots In Adults, via Across America Patch

2022’s Best Online Degrees: U.S. News

Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic, current and prospective college students are still turning to online schools and programs to get their degrees in the safety of their homes. To help students decide on their post-secondary education plans, U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released its annual list recognizing select schools and degree programs that were specifically designed to be earned online. » These U.S. Colleges Offer 2022’s Best Online Degrees, via Across America Patch

No Litter Boxes At This School

As the culture wars around gender identity ramp up, a school superintendent in central Michigan found it necessary to make a statement on social media that students who identify as cats won't have to use litter boxes. The origin of the, ahem, furfluffle can be traced back to a Dec. 20 school board meeting. » No Litter Boxes For Students Who Identify As Cats: Superintendent, via Detroit Patch

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

Around ‘The Patch’

A Florida man recently proved he'll go to great lengths to protect his dogs, including fighting off a bear. » 'I Was Attacked By A Bear': FL Man Fights Off Bear To Save Dogs, via Tampa Patch

Clue: This openly transgender "Jeopardy" contestant from Oakland earned the No. 2 spot in all-time consecutive wins Monday night. Answer: Who is Amy Schneider? » Bay Area Woman Wins 39th Jeopardy Game, 2nd Only To Ken Jennings, via Danville, California, Patch

After seven weeks on the run, a rescue pooch from Spain that went missing in Palm Beach County, Florida, was eventually found — but not before she traversed countless miles, visited at least four cities, crashed a Christmas parade and enjoyed some leisurely time on the beach. »Rescue Greyhound Travels Across Palm Beach County While Missing, Enjoys 7-Week Adventure, via Miami Patch

Playa (center), a Spanish rescue greyhound, bolted from her foster home just before Thanksgiving. She was found seven weeks later after enjoying a solo adventure across Palm Beach County. (Courtesy of Alastair Calderwood)
Playa (center), a Spanish rescue greyhound, bolted from her foster home just before Thanksgiving. She was found seven weeks later after enjoying a solo adventure across Palm Beach County. (Courtesy of Alastair Calderwood)

More local news:

House Hunting

This gorgeous Long Island home with a private beachfront is selling for $5 million. Featuring a saltwater pool, a pool house with its own kitchen, and only a 15-minute boat ride to Fire Island, this house is perfect for those who can't get enough of the water.

This Day In History

In 1988, Andrew Lloyd Webber's “The Phantom of the Opera” opened in New York City and went on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history.

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This article originally appeared on the Across America Patch