Police officer killed in Midtown Manhattan shooting was an immigrant father with another child on the way
Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old New York Police Department officer, was among four people killed Monday when a gunman stormed the lobby of a sprawling office tower in Midtown Manhattan and opened fire.
A Bangladeshi immigrant hailed as a hero by city officials, Islam leaves behind two young sons and his wife, who is pregnant with their third child.
Islam had been off duty but in uniform working security in the building when he was shot and killed by Shane Devon Tamura, 27, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Tamura also shot a security guard and three others before fatally shooting himself, police said.
Islam 'was doing the job that we asked him to do,' Tisch said at a news conference Monday night. 'He put himself in harm's way, he made the ultimate sacrifice – shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to this city. He died as he lived, a hero.'
Islam had served in the NYPD's 47th precinct in the Bronx for 3 1/2 years, Mayor Eric Adams said at the news conference.
He was his father's only son, said Adams, who met with Islam's family Monday night and told them, 'He was a hero and we admire him for putting his life on the line.'
'Everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God and believed in living out the life of a godly person,' the mayor said. 'He was saving lives. He was protecting New Yorkers. He embodies what this city is all about. He's a true-blue New Yorker, not only in a uniform he wore.'
Didarul Islam
The New York City Police Department has shared a photo of Didarul Islam, the officer killed in a Midtown Manhattan shooting Monday. (X/@NYPDnews via CNN Newsource)
Messages honouring the fallen officer and expressing condolences to his family have flowed in from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and police departments as far away as Los Angeles.
'Police Officer Didarul Islam represented the very best of our department,' the NYPD posted on X. 'He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today. We join in prayer during this time of incomprehensible pain. We will forever honour his legacy.'
Just past midnight Tuesday, officials lined the streets outside a hospital to perform a 'guard of honour' as Islam's body was transferred to an ambulance. Some saluted, while others held their hands over their hearts as he was wheeled out.
By Jessie Yeung, CNN
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