Jason Rivera, NYPD Cop Killed in Line of Duty, Given a Hero’s Farewell at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Thousands of police officers from around the country gather at St. Patrick's Cathedral to attend the funeral for fallen NYPD Officer Jason Rivera on January 28, 2022 in New York City. The 22-year-old NYPD officer was shot and killed on January 21 in Harlem while responding to a domestic disturbance call. Rivera's partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, also died from injuries suffered in the shooting. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Jason Rivera, the slain NYPD cop in the line of duty, was given a final farewell on his Friday at St. Patrick's Cathedral, with his brother saying that the slain police officer's "first love was policing."

The 22-year-old Rivera was posthumously promoted to detective first grade during the service at Manhattan's St. Patrick's Cathedral one week after he was murdered in the line of duty, according to a New York Post report.

Rivera's brother, Jeffrey Rivera, said that the late police officer was obsessed with his career in law enforcement.

Jeffrey added that his brother would listen to police radio transmissions for local alerts when he was a child and would watch police dramas on TV.

Rivera's childhood sweetheart and widowed wife, Dominique Luzuriaga, revealed that they had been fighting that day Rivera died.

Luzuriaga said that she called an Uber instead of having him drive her as she did not want to keep arguing on their way to work on that day.

She recalled seeing a cellphone alert about two officers being shot and how she tried to reach her husband to see if he was okay.

Rivera's partner, Wilbert Mora, was shot in the head and died several days after the shooting.

Slain NYPD Cop Jason Rivera's Widow Called Out the System

Jason Rivera's wife said that the system continues to "fail us," adding that they are not safe anymore – not even the members of the service.

She then went on to talk about how her husband was "tired of these laws," particularly those coming from the new D.A., according to a Fox News report.

The newly elected New York City district attorney, Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, announced that he would be applying less stringent policies for prosecuting certain crimes.

However, Bragg later clarified in the controversial memo that it gave the "wrong impression."

Bragg was in attendance at Luzuriaga's speech at the time, later releasing a statement that he is "grieving and praying" for the killed police officers Rivera and Mora.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who posthumously promoted Rivera, said that the young police officer had found the woman and career of his dreams and "many don't accomplish that in their entire lifetimes."

Sewell added that Rivera had shown them to be better.

NYPD Cops Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora

The NYPD noted that the suspect who shot Officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora on Friday in Harlem has died.

Rivera and Mora responded to a 911 call about domestic abuse between a mother and her adult son in Harlem. The two were shot there, according to a Bronx News 12 report.

The two NYPD cops arrived at the scene with a third office, with 47-year-old Lashawn McNeil being in the bedroom of the apartment.

Mora and Rivera started walking toward the bedroom when the door swung open and McNeil started shooting at the two officers.

The suspect then fled the apartment when McNeil was shot by the third officer, hitting him in the head and arm.

The NYPD stated that the police also found an AR-15 assault weapon under McNeil's mattress.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Widow delivers heart-wrenching eulogy for NYPD Detective Jason Rivera - from Eyewitness News ABC7NY