President Biden will travel to New York City next Thursday to meet with Mayor Eric Adams about his strategy to reduce gun violence in the Big Apple following the ambush killing of two NYPD officers in Harlem last week.
Biden will discuss with Adams, a former NYPD captain, “the Administration’s comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime, which includes historic levels of funding for cities and states to put more cops on the beat and invest in community violence prevention and intervention programs, as well as stepped-up federal law enforcement efforts against illegal gun traffickers,” the White House said Wednesday.
Adams’ office confirmed the meeting.
Adams, speaking after he laid out his proposals to curb violence in the city, displayed a photo of the .45-caliber Glock pistol that had been enhanced with an illegal high-capacity magazine that enabled the weapon to hold 40 rounds.
“This is the gun that killed our young officer Friday night,” Adams said.
Rookie Officer Jason Rivera, 22, was killed while responding to a domestic violence call at an apartment in Harlem.
His partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, was critically wounded by Lashawn McNeil and died Tuesday after undergoing two surgeries.
Mora remained on life support so his organs could be donated.
At an emotional press conference at Harlem Hospital after the shootings, Adams pleaded with New Yorkers to help “save our city.”
“There are no gun manufacturers in New York City. We don’t make guns here,” Adams said. “How are we removing thousands of guns off the street and they still find a way into New York City? In the hands of people that are killers, constantly carving highways of death, destroying our communities.”
“We need Washington to join us and act now to stop the flow of guns in New York City and cities like New York,” he urged.
After Adams introduced his initiatives on Monday that included launching a plainclothes anti-gun unit and asking the legislature to fix the state’s bail reform laws, Biden called to offer him “firm support.”
The next day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president called the mayor “to express his deepest condolences” over the killings of Mora and Rivera.
She said Biden “reiterated his admiration for the brave men and women of law enforcement who risk their lives on a daily basis to protect our communities … and he expressed his firm support for Mayor Adams’ efforts to combat gun violence and violent crime.”
Adams responded by tweeting: “We have a true ally in the @WhiteHouse.”
“[Biden] knows what it takes to keep our streets safe and his support will be invaluable in getting the job done,” Adams said.
In 2021, New York City had 488 murders, a 4 percent increase from the 468 tallied in 2020, which in turn was a 47 percent jump from 319 killings in 2019.
