AOC’s GOP challenger demands death penalty for cop killers following deadliest year in law enforcement history

With New York Metropolis dealing with an alarming spike in homicides – together with the murders of two NYPD officers final Friday — U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Republican challenger Desi Cuellar is proposing a federal dying penalty for convicted cop killers.

Cuellar’s plan comes amid an alarming “struggle on police”nationwide – with no less than six officers killed within the line of obligation within the U.S. up to now in 2022 and others shot at, attacked or in any other case focused by criminals, in response to information from the Officer Down Memorial Web page.

And this 12 months follows 2021, which was the “deadliest 12 months for legislation enforcement officers in historical past,” in response to the Nationwide Legislation Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

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Cuellar spoke in regards to the latest violence towards police in an interview with Fox Information Digital.

“What breaks my coronary heart essentially the most is that officers like Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora are heroes — all people says that, no person has an issue saying that,” Cuellar stated Wednesday. “However it’s a disgrace that our courageous women and men who threat their lives each day to guard us must die earlier than we have a look at them or discuss with them as heroes.”

1000’s of individuals attended Rivera’s wake Thursday afternoon at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan – civilians and officers alike, with uniformed mourners coming from so far as Virginia, Canada, Massachusetts and abroad to pay their respects. His funeral was scheduled for Friday.

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Mora, whose organ donations will save the lives of 5 people, is ready to be laid to relaxation subsequent week.

Cuellar, an Military Nationwide Guardsman and descendant of Cuban refugees who fled the communist Castro regime, introduced his proposal minutes earlier than collaborating in a rally in help of the slain officers exterior Manhattan District Legal professional Alvin Bragg’s workplace Wednesday.

Bragg’s progressive insurance policies three weeks into his first time period as prosecutor have been criticized as delicate on crime and blamed for a rash of violence within the borough.

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“The blood of those officers is on the fingers of those spineless politicians like AOC, or anyone on Metropolis Council, and even the mayor proper now, except he does one thing about it,” Cuellar stated, referring to new NYC Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who campaigned on a pro-police platform and served within the NYPD himself. “No person in politics on the left cares about holding again the criminals, all they care about is holding again the police.” 

“No person in politics on the left cares about holding again the criminals, all they care about is holding again the police.” 

— Desi Cuellar, Republican challenger to AOC

Rivera, 22, and Mora, 27, died from accidents suffered final Friday night time when a 47-year-old home violence suspect with a stolen .45-caliber handgun ambushed them in his mom’s Harlem residence, opening the bed room door with a barrage of bullets.

“The issue we face at present is that the mindset of the trendy prison is one which understands that they won’t face extreme penalties for his or her violent actions,” Cuellar stated. “And truthfully, it looks like we’re getting an absence of motion on this disaster from each side of the aisle. Everybody must get up.”

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Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired police sergeant and spokeswoman for the Nationwide Police Affiliation, agreed that leaders on each side of the political spectrum may converse out extra on the nation’s rising crime. She stated Republicans may gain advantage from talking out about a difficulty their voters help.

She additionally stated that whereas Rivera’s taking pictures dying drew loads of consideration as a result of he was so younger and newly married, she hopes folks proceed to concentrate to the alarming rise in violence.

“He’s simply so rattling younger,” she stated. “Everyone seems to be at him and thinks, that might be my son, that might be my grandson, my brother.”

If the problem stays on voters’ minds, it may result in change, she stated.

“We used to, for those who had been that form of prison, committing horrible violent felonies, sooner or later you’ll get a prolonged jail sentence,” Brantner Smith stated. “That’s not taking place as a lot in loads of instances.”

Particularly in jurisdictions with progressive prosecutors backed by the left-wing billionaire George Soros, in response to critics of no-bail insurance policies and members of legislation enforcement irked by some DAs’ reluctance to prosecute minor crimes.

New York has seen 5 police shootings within the first 4 weeks of 2022.

In Houston, the place police had been nonetheless reeling from the homicide of Harris County Cpl. Charles Galloway over the weekend and the dying of Harris County Sheriff’s Workplace Sgt. Ramon Gutierrez on Monday after a drunken driver slammed into him throughout a site visitors cease, three metropolis law enforcement officials had been shot Thursday afternoon by a suspect who fled in a white Mercedes however was later apprehended.

Ocasio-Cortez’s workplace didn’t reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for touch upon policing or crime within the Massive Apple on Thursday – however she did present up at a rally over the weekend in help of the proper for supply drivers to take toilet breaks.

Fox Information’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.