‘I would never have called!’: Shirley Sourzes REGRETS calling 911 after son killed NYPD cops
Lashawn McNeil, a 47-year-old mentally ill man, was accused of shooting two police officers on Monday after his mother Shirley Sourzes called 911 to report a domestic disturbance. Officer Jason Rivera, 22, was shot dead, while Wilbert Mora, 27, was severely injured and succumbed to his injuries hours later.
Accused McNeil had an extensive rap sheet and was out on probation. At 1:38 pm on Monday, McNeil was shot dead by a third police officer, rookie Sumit Sulan, who had also responded to the domestic disturbance scene along with the other two officers who were killed in the ambush. Law enforcement officials who are now investigating the case have stated that McNeil was steeped in anti-authority philosophies and suffered from a God complex. “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," his mother Shirley Sourzes told police.
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(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)In her statement to the NY Post, Sourzes expressed that she feels sorry for the shock and devastation brought on the police officers' families and loved ones by her son. She also stated that she strongly regrets making the 911 call and would not have done it if she knew what was about to follow. “If I knew, I never would have made the phone call. I would never have called!” Sourzes said. She said that she was unaware of McNeil's illegal weapons - an illegally modified Glock 45 caliber handgun and a loaded AR-type weapon - both of which he kept under his bed in his room.
“I would like to say to Mr and Mrs Rivera that I am deeply sorry. I know that there is not [sic] words that I can express. Your pain. Your sorrow," Sourzes told the NY Post, addressing the parents of Jason Rivera, 22, who was fatally shot by her son. “There is nothing I can say to heal your sorrow, but God is a comforter. … And I know that he sent your son to do his will,” she said. “I don’t understand it. It’s not fair. My heart goes out to you and your family," she added.
A police source who viewed the bodycam footage of the ambush reported that the video was 'horrific'. “It’s bad,” the source said. “They open that door, and he’s just standing there, and he shoots the first cop. Then he steps over him, and then he keeps shooting at him.”
Survivors of the Shield, a nonprofit organization founded and run by three NYPD widows since 1989, has started a fundraiser to help Rivera's family and his widow Dominique. The organization works towards helping families of cops who are killed in the line of duty. Contributions can be made through this link or by mail at Survivors of the Shield, Church Street Station, PO Box 436, New York, NY 10008.