NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The mother of the alleged gunman who fatally shot one rookie NYPD officer and left another in critical condition in a shooting at her Harlem apartment last week said she regrets making the 911 call that led to their ambush.
Shirley Sourzes told The New York Post that had she known the outcome, she "never would have made the phone call."
That phone call for help, which allegedly started as an argument over dieting between Sourzes and her son, Lashawn McNiel, 47, led to the death of 22-year-old Jason Rivera and the critical wounding of his partner, 27-year-old Wilbert Mora.
Through tears, Sourzes told the Post she wishes to relay how "deeply sorry" she is for her son's actions.
"I would like to say to Mr. and Mrs. [Rivera] that I am deeply sorry," she said. "I know that there [are no] words that I can express. Your pain. Your sorrow."
Sources told the outlet that McNeil held anti-authority conspiracy theories, even thinking he was God, which Sourzes confirmed.
His mother told The Post that she tried to get her son help.
She added, "I told him to submit himself to help. At this point, his mental state was incapacitated. He thought he was God, and he wouldn’t submit himself to no one."
The NYPD said the fatal shooting was predicated on a 911 call to a domestic violence call last Friday night.
When officers arrived at the West 135th Street residence, they went to a rear bedroom where McNeil burst out and shot them multiple times. A third officer shot and critically wounded McNeil as he tried to flee the apartment.
McNeil, who had a criminal history and was on probation, died at Harlem Hospital on Monday afternoon, officials said.
Rivera was pronounced dead. Funeral services will be held at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Friday morning.
Mora was transferred to NYU Langone Hospital from Harlem Hospital on Sunday.
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