Didarul Islam: NYPD officer killed in Manhattan shooting was an immigrant father expecting his 3rd child

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A deadly Midtown shootout left four people dead on Monday, July 28, including a beloved NYPD officer hailed as a hero, a mentor, and a family man with a third child on the way.

Didarul Islam, 36, was working an off-duty security shift at the 345 Park Avenue tower when a gunman barged into the lobby and opened fire.

Islam, an immigrant from Bangladesh who had served at the 47th Precinct in the Bronx for three and a half years, was fatally shot by 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica S Tisch.

“He was doing the job that we asked him to do,” Tisch said at a late-night news conference. “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.”

NYC Mayor Eric Adams honors slain NYPD officer Didarul Islam

Mayor Eric Adams stood alongside the commissioner and revealed that Islam was his father’s only son. The mayor had just come from meeting with the officer’s devastated family — his pregnant wife, two young sons, and extended relatives.

He told them that Islam "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 added. “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.”

The officer’s death sent shockwaves through law enforcement agencies across the nation. Even the Los Angeles Police Department joined New York’s finest in offering condolences.

“Police Officer Didarul Islam represented the very best of our department,” the NYPD posted on X (formerly Twitter). “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.”

Tragedy follows chaos at 345 Park Avenue

Cops say Shane Devon Tamura shot five people inside the building, including NYPD officer Didarul Islam, before turning the gun on himself. One victim survived and was in critical but stable condition Monday night.

At Islam’s home in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, uniformed officers filed quietly in and out of the two-story house that the officer had purchased for his family and parents. Inside, a child cried inconsolably while the imam from the local mosque stood by the family’s side.

Friends and relatives — many of them Uber drivers — shuttled back and forth, bringing more mourners, more food, and more prayers. Children darted between grown-ups’ legs, too young to understand. The steady stream of neighbors didn’t let up until past 1 am. Many offering trays of food and baked dishes wrapped in foil, according to The New York Times.

In the basement apartment below the grieving family lived Shueb Chowdhury, 49, who still couldn’t believe the news. “I cannot believe it,” Chowdhury told the NYT. “He was very young. I saw him this morning, and 12 hours later, he’s dead.”

One of Islam’s closest family friends, Marjanul Karim, 31, said the officer was a mentor in the Bangladeshi community, which is more than 100,000-strong across the five boroughs. Karim was expecting Islam to attend his wedding in September. “He came as an immigrant, started working as a security guard at a school,” Karim recalled.

“He wanted to support his family and be in a better position, and he fell in love with law enforcement while working security,” he continued. “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.”

Didarul Islam leaves behind a legacy of faith and quiet strength

Didarul Islam didn’t talk much about work, but he led by example in his neighborhood. He was an active member of his mosque, encouraging fellow worshippers to consider joining the NYPD as traffic agents. It was a safer job, he’d tell them, than street patrol.

Salman Ahmed, 21, his brother-in-law, thought Islam’s assignment in the 47th Precinct was relatively quiet. “He always seemed calm about his work, and he loved his job,” Ahmed said. “But we never thought that this might happen. He never shared, and we never knew he would be involved in shootings.”

Neighbors say Islam was deeply religious. One of them, MD Shahjada, remembered how he gifted him a prayer mat last year after he completed the "Hajj," referring to the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. “That’s who he was,” Shahjada said.