The hero NYPD cop shot and killed in the Manhattan mass shooting Monday was working a second job in private security while his wife expected the couple’s third child.
Officer Didarul Islam, 36, was shot in the back and killed by a gunman seen carrying an M4 assault rifle near a midtown Manhattan office building that houses Blackstone asset management and the NFL on Monday. Five people are dead, including Islam.
Islam, an officer since December 2021, is the father of two young boys. His wife is eight months pregnant with their third child.
He was working in private security for Rudin Management Company Monday night, The New York Post reported, though he was in an NYPD uniform. He regularly works in the Bronx’s 47th precinct
Tributes poured in for Islam on Monday night, including from former NYPD officer and New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a press conference.
‘He was doing what he does best, as all members of the police department carry out he was saving lives,’ Adams said.
‘He was protecting New Yorkers. He’s an immigrant from Bangladesh, and 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.’
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that Islam ‘died as he lived: a hero.’
‘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 that he made to the city,’ Tisch added.
‘I want to extend my profound sympathies to all of the victims and their families and to the brave NYPD cops who today lost a brother,’ she added.
Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, called the loss ‘devastating.’
‘He was a hardworking police officer who was proud we know from hearing from his family to put on that uniform and shield of a New York City police officer, Hendry said.
‘Every day, he went out and did his job, and he went out every single day to provide for his family, whether it was overtime or whatever he had to do to provide for this family.’
EMS First also shared a tribute to Officer Islam following the news.
‘Tonight, a chair at the dinner table is left empty. Tonight, a family grieves a loss that cannot be measured. Tonight, a hero made the ultimate, selfless sacrifice in the line of duty,’ it wrote on Instagram.
‘Remember his name. Honor his service. Never forget his face.’
Shueb Chowdhury – a basement tenant of Officer Islam – told the New York Times he ‘couldn’t believe’ the hero policeman had died.
‘I saw him this morning and 12 hours later he’s dead,’ he said.
Family friend Marjanul Karim, 31, said Officer Islam mentored young Bangladeshi men in his community and was looking forward to his pal attending his wedding later this year.
‘He wanted to support his family and be in a better position, and he fell in love with law enforcement while working security,’ Mr Karim said.
‘At the time, my mother told him, ‘You left a safe job working for a school in security, and being a cop is dangerous. Why did you do that?’ He told her he wanted to leave behind a legacy for his family, something they could be proud of.’
Officer Islam’s brother-in-law Salman Ahmed, 21, said he ‘loved his job’ and felt he was safe working as a policeman.
A gunman seen carrying an M4 assault rifle killed four people, including one police officer, when he opened fire in broad daylight in the heart of New York City, before he reportedly took his own life.
In terrifying security camera photos, the gunman could be seen wearing a sport coat and button-down shirt while carrying the large rifle near a midtown Manhattan office building that houses Blackstone asset management and the NFL on Monday.
The gunman was identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura from Las Vegas, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Tamura had a silencer on his rifle when he opened fire inside the lobby at around 6.30pm, with about 30 people inside, according to CNN. The firearm also had a scope and strap.
The gunman was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the 33rd floor of the building, where Blackstone has its headquarters.
In an update on X, Commissioner Tisch said the ‘lone shooter has been neutralized’ and the scene is ‘contained.’
Videos shared online showed officers in protective gear entering the building at 365 Park Avenue with their guns drawn.
Another video taken by Fox 5 showed several officers carrying a victim, while others appeared to be tending to a person lying on the ground.
Two people, a man and a woman, were also taken into custody at the scene, according to AMNY.
The woman had a cut on her head and the man allegedly said, ‘Free Palestine, I’m not the active shooter.’
A witness told The New York Post that ‘it sounded like a barrage of shots …Like an automatic weapon. Like a high-capacity weapon.’
Another person told the paper that a ‘guy came in with an assault rifle and started shooting.’
A shocking image showed the victim splayed out on the floor of the office building after he suffered the self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Tamura, the gunman, grew up in Hawaii where he played football in high school.
Sources told NBC News that investigators were probing whether he may have been targeting the NFL offices.
He started the rampage in the lobby of the office building where he first exchanged gunfire with the NYPD Officer Islam, according to CNN.
Tamura then proceeded up the the 33rd floor where police received calls of shooting. The gunman was then found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
‘It appears that he knew it would be his last stand,’ said CNN chief law enforcement analyst John Miller, a former NYPD deputy commissioner.
‘He fully intended to shoot his way through the lobby and make his way to that target – whatever that might have been.’
A photo of the blood-stained weapon used in the massacre was obtained by DailyMail.com.
KPMG, a financial company that has offices in the building, released a statement that said: ‘Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific act and their families. We are incredibly grateful for the bravery of building security and law enforcement.’
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said agents are responding to the scene.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she has been briefed on the situation, and New York Attorney General Letitia James said she is ‘praying for our law enforcement and the New Yorkers impacted in the shooting situation this evening in Manhattan.’
NYC Mayor Eric Adams also arrived at the scene and said he would be visiting the hospital.
