He was the finest of New York’s Finest.
Hero cop Didarul Islam, who was gunned down in a deadly Midtown rampage by a rifle-toting maniac, is being hailed as a doting father, a generous neighbor and a shining example of the best of the NYPD.
“Police Officer Didarul Islam represented the very best of our department,” the NYPD said 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 honor his legacy.”
The Big Apple hailed slain NYPD Police Officer Didarul Islman as a hero following Monday’s Midtown mass shooting. James Keivom
Elected officials from City Hall to Washington, DC, also offered praise and condolences on Tuesday, one day after the 36-year-old father of two became one of four people killed by deranged gunman Shane Tamura during a rush hour shooting rampage in Midtown Manhattan.
Islam, a native of Bangladesh who lived in the Bronx, had served on the force for four years.
“I join millions of New Yorkers in mourning the horrific murder of New York Police Department officer Didarul Islam in yesterday’s tragic, senseless mass shooting,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement released Tuesday.
Members of the New York City Police Department console each other after the body of NYPD officer Didarul Islam wad transferred from the medical examiners office to a funeral home. James Keivom
“Officer Islam is a hero and we owe him an eternal debt of gratitude for his courage and service,” Jeffries said. “Officer Islam was tragically killed protecting others in the selfless tradition of New York’s Finest. He represents the very best of New York City and our immigrant journey.”
In a post on X, Gov. Kathy Hochul called the hero cop “the very best of New York.
“An immigrant from Bangladesh, he joined the NYPD to protect his city — and gave his life doing so,” Hochul said. “We hold his family in our prayers tonight.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams also paid tribute to the fallen officer.
“Officer Didarul Islam died as he lived, a hero and protector of New York City,” the mayor said in another online post. “We will never forget you.”
Chilling photo of cop killer Shame Tamura on the front page of the New York Post.
Tragic tally: Clockwise from top left are victims Wesley LePatner, Aland Etienne, Didarul Islam and Julia Hyman. Blackstone; Facebook; Obtained; Linkedin
The four-year NYPD veteran was on duty at 345 Park Ave. around 6:30 p.m. Monday when Tamura walked into the lobby with an AR-15 style assault rifle, walked past Islam then turned and fired.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the deranged killer, a Las Vegas security guard, drove cross-country and arrived in the Big Apple earlier in the day, targeting the NFL over presumed CTE injuries.
After shooting Islam, Tamura shot and killed security guard Aland Etienne and 43-year-old Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, before taking the elevator to the 33rd floor, where he shot and killed Rudin Management employee Julia Hyman before turning the gun on himself.
“We lost a brother, a friend, and an NYPD hero,” Tisch said in a video to the rank and file.” Police Officer Didarul Islam was murdered wearing the uniform respected the world over — your uniform.
Police officers gather at New York Presbyterian Hospital to honor slain NYPD Cop Didarul Islam on Monday night. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post
Cops and residents alike mourned slain NYPD cop Didarul Islam, one of four killed in a Midtown mass shooting. James Keivom
Members of the NYPD gather at the Parkchester Jame Masjid for the transfer of the body of NYPD officer Didarul Islam, 36, who was shot and killed by Shane Tamura, 27, in a midtown Manhattan office building. Stephen Yang
Mourners gather around a mosque as the body of fallen NYPD officer Didarul Islam, 36, is transferred. Stephen Yang
- Reports of the shooting at 345 Park Ave. start coming in around 6:28 p.m.
- Shane Tamura, 27, is seen getting out of a black BMW between 51st and 52nd streets with an M4 rifle.
- He enters the lobby and turns right, where he shoots police officer Didarul Islam, 36, dead.
- Tamura guns down a woman cowering behind a pillar in the lobby, sprays more bullets and walks toward the elevator bank — where he shoots dead a security guard crouching at his desk.
- One more man reports being shot and injured in the lobby. He was in critical but stable condition.
- The gunman allows a woman to walk out of the elevators unharmed before heading up to the 33rd floor, where building owner Rudin Properties’ offices are located, “and begins to walk the floor, firing as he traveled.”
- One woman is shot and killed on that floor before Tamura shoots himself in the chest.
- It’s unclear how long the mayhem lasted. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted on X at 7:52 p.m.: “The scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralized.”
“Officer Islam’s death was just another reminder of everything you risk just by showing up to work. He knew that risk. He embraced it. He understood what it meant to put the safety of others above his own.”
The top cop said NYPD detectives have identified a suspected “associate” of Tamura’s who helped him assemble the murder weapon, as the investigation continues in both cities.
NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said Islam died doing his job.
“PO Didarul Islam was a hero from the moment he put on our uniform,” Hendry said. “When pure evil showed up on his post last night, he stood between that evil and innocent people.
“Police officers are mourning him as a friend and co-worker, but we ask all New Yorkers to honor him as the hero he was,” the PBA boss said.
NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said slain cop Didarul Islam was a true hero. James Keivom
Cardinal Timothy Dolan asked for prayers for victims of the mass shooting two blocks from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. AFP via Getty Images
Also expressing condolences was Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who bemoaned the loss to the victims’ families and “our beloved NYPD community.
“Yesterday, a tragedy struck our neighborhood, just two blocks from St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” Dolan wrote on Facebook. “We are heartbroken by the loss of life. The victims, those who were injured and their families are in our prayers. We should never get used to violence or lose our respect for the sacredness of every human life.”
— Additional reporting by Tina Moore and Amanda Woods
