A man fell to his knees in prayer at a memorial for NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora outside his apartment in East Harlem Monday.

Police officers from several area precincts stood watch outside the building on East 112th Street. Officers also lit candles, hung balloons and wrote notes of encouragement. Mora, a four-year veteran of the NYPD, joined the force in 2018 — the same year he graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

“It wasn’t about power, it was really about helping people and helping people does make changes," said Gregory Sheppard, a professor at John Jay. 

What You Need To Know

  • Officer Mora is still in critical condition after being shot in the head in Harlem last Friday

  • Mora is a four-year veteran of the NYPD

  • He graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2018

Mora joined Sheppard’s Language of Music course in 2017, an unusual elective choice for a soon-to-be NYPD officer.

“It was a little tricky for Wilbert in the beginning, but he was determined to do well and he didn’t mind asking for help,” Sheppard explained.

Sheppard said Mora got so much joy from class, he decided to take choir during his final semester.

“Being in choir, it’s one of those things where community is built and certainly I think that happens every semester,” Sheppard added.

Sheppard said community was important to Mora, who often said he wanted to make New York City a better place for all.

“I asked him, ‘Why do you wanna be an NYPD officer?’ And he said, ‘I really wanna help people’ in this soft spoken, almost apologetic way. ‘I really wanna help people,’” Sheppard recalled.

Mora and his 22-year-old partner Officer Jason Rivera were trying to do just that last Friday while responding to a 911 call on West 135th Street. Investigators say 47-year-old Lashawn McNeil opened fire, killing Rivera and critically wounding Mora. 

“It was very painful to hear. Shocking. I immediately said a prayer,” Sheppard said.

Mora was shot in the head and underwent two surgeries. Doctors transferred him from Harlem Hospital to NYU Langone on Sunday, accompanied by a large NYPD motorcade. A line of first responders saluted as Mora arrived on Manhattan's East Side.

“It’s a real tragedy. A young person just at the beginning of their life. Chose a profession to help community and to be harmed this way,” Sheppard said, adding, “It affects everyone.”

Sheppard said there’s one thing that always stuck out to him in regard to Mora, a trait he will never forget.

“He always said thank you. He always said thank you. Whether I took a little extra time with to help him or through the whole experience of the semester, he always said thank you,” Sheppard said.

Now, Sheppard and Mora’s neighbors are thanking him for his bravery and commitment to making New York a safer place for all.