The NYPD officer slain during this week’s mass shooting in a Midtown office building was laid to rest following a funeral ceremony in the Bronx on Thursday.
Mourners gathered at the Jame Masjid mosque in Parkchester to remember 36-year-old Didarul Islam, who was working in the lobby of 345 Park Ave. around 6:30 p.m. when police said gunman Shane Tamura entered and opened fire.
Mayor Eric Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch spoke during the service.
“Didarul Islam came to this country as an immigrant with no guarantees, only the hope that hard work, that humility, and that purpose might lead him somewhere meaningful and it did,” Tisch said during the services. She posthumously promoted Islam to Detective First Grade. It is one of the department’s most respected honors, she said.
“Though his journey was cut too short, the way he lived this job with steadiness, with heart, with conviction, it reflected everything this title represents,” she added.
Tisch, who got choked up several times during her eulogy, also talked about Islam’s tireless work ethic to support his family and the bond he forged with his partner, a man from the Dominican Republic, in “the most New York story.”
Adams’ remarks touched on the pain of parents burying their children, while Hochul spoke of the need to not take police work for granted.
Outside the Parkchester mosque at around 1 p.m., men formed lines standing shoulder to shoulder in preparation for a Janaza prayer, a communal prayer performed at Islamic funerals.
Islam, who normally worked in the Bronx’s 47th Precinct, had taken a paid detail gig at the glossy skyscraper, which is home to a number of high-profile companies including the global investment firm Blackstone.
Law enforcement officials said Tamura was likely targeting the National Football League headquarters after finding a note in his pocket that blamed his mental health issues on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma that commonly affects professional football players.
Islam leaves behind two young sons and a wife who is currently pregnant with their third child, according to relatives and city officials. He was a beloved member of the tight-knit Bangladeshi community, which has rallied together to provide support for the family. An online donation page had raised more than $200,000 by Thursday afternoon.
“This really hits home,” Parkchester resident Rushna Begum said in remarks translated by her daughter. “Losing him is like losing one of our family members.”
Brooklynite Reaz Ahmed, 33, was one of the many attendees who didn’t know Islam but traveled to the mosque and stood in the blistering heat to express their condolences. Ahmed said he was happy to see a diverse showing for Islam’s services.
Ahmed added that he’d like to see stricter gun control like in his home country.
The 27-year-old gunman fired indiscriminately throughout the building’s lobby and 33rd floor, killing Islam, security guard Aland Etienne, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner and Rudin Management associate Julia Hyman before turning the gun on himself.
Police revealed more information late Wednesday about their findings at Tamura’s apartment in his home city of Las Vegas, which included a second suicide note, numerous rounds of ammunition and a tripod for the rifle used in the shooting. Investigators also found an anti-inflammatory, an anti-epileptic drug and an antipsychotic medication.
Adams sent out a memo on Thursday urging New Yorkers struggling in the shooting’s aftermath to seek mental health support from the city’s free and confidential resources, including NYC 988, which allows callers to speak with a counselor via phone, text or chat.
“During times like these, it is important to know that your city has your back and that you are not alone,” he said in a statement.
In a video message earlier this week, Tisch also encouraged members of the NYPD to seek emotional help.
Visit the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health website for a full list of available resources.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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