Father of slain NYPD Det. Didarul Islam breaks silence: "I feel like I'm in darkness"
Two brothers, ages 7 and 4 years old, are too young to fully understand what they've lost. Last Monday, their father was moonlighting as a security guard at 345 Park Ave., when a gunman from Las Vegas opened fire, killing him and three others.
Abdur Rob, Islam's father, spoke with CBS News New York through a translator from his home in the Bronx.
"Didarul Islam was my only son. Without him here, I feel emptiness. When I went and first saw his body, I had a mini stroke. After that, I've been lost ever since," Rob said.
His 36-year-old son was born in Bangladesh and moved to the United States as a child. Joining the NYPD, his family said, was a dream come true.
"He always wanted to be a police officer to serve his community, to serve the people around him, and set a better example for his kids," said Zamilur Rahman, Islam's cousin.
Absent from Tuesday's solemn family gathering was the detective's widow, who is due to give birth to their third son next week.
"There's not a moment that goes by I don't think about my son. I feel like I'm in darkness, but I will try my best so my grandsons can always remember him in the good times, not the bad times," Rob said.
Islam was laid to rest last week, with hundreds of New Yorkers, including his brothers in blue, coming to pay their respects.
"In this difficult time, we saw something powerful. People from all walks of life, all parts of city, coming together to support one another. The sense of unity gives us hope," Rahman said.
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