Who Was Officer Islam?
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The New York City police officer killed on Monday in the Midtown Manhattan shooting was an immigrant from Bangladesh, a father of two boys and a hero who put himself in harm's way to protect the people of the city he loved, authorities said.
A gunman killed four people, including the police officer, and wounded one, in the Monday evening attack on the commercial building at 345 Park Avenue, which houses some of America's largest financial institutions, including Blackstone, as well as the consulate general of Ireland.
The shooter, identified as Shane Devon Tamura of Nevada, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after carrying out the rampage, authorities told a news conference at Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Those killed included Officer Didarul Islam, another male, and two women, including one woman who was found dead on the 33rd floor, where the gunman was also found dead in a hallway.
Names of the other victims are being withheld until their families are notified.
An officer stands in a street as police respond to a shooting incident in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York on July 28, 2025.
An officer stands in a street as police respond to a shooting incident in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York on July 28, 2025.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images
'Protecting New Yorkers'
Islam, 36, was an immigrant from Bangladesh and a 3 1/2-year veteran of the New York Police Department, stationed at the 47th Precinct in the Bronx. His wife is expecting their third child.
"He was doing what he does best and all members of the police department carry out, he was saving lives, he was protecting New Yorkers," Mayor Eric Adams told a news conference of Islam, where he denounced "another senseless act of gun violence."
"He embodies what this city is all about. He's a true blue New Yorker, not only in the uniform he wore but in his spirit and energy of loving this city.
"He loved this city and 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," Adams said.
Adams said he had met Islam's family.
"I…told them that he was a hero and we admire him for putting his life on the line," he said.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch gave an account of how events unfolded at 345 Park Avenue.
"The building's security camera footage video shows the shooter suspect enter the lobby, turn right and immediately open fire on an NYPD officer," she said, referring to Islam.
"He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice, shot in cold blood wearing a uniform that stood for the promise he made to this city," Tisch said.
"He died as he lived, a hero."
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