- Police officer Didarul Islam was among the four killed in the New York shooting
- The NYPD said that Islam represented the very best of the police department
- He was a true-blue New Yorker and embodied what the city is all about, said Mayor Eric Adams
A police officer is among the four people killed in the mass shooting in New York. Didarul Islam, 36, a brave officer with the New York Police Department (NYPD), was shot at by a 27-year-old gunman with a mental health history at a Midtown Manhattan office building early this morning.
Mayor Eric Adams said Islam was an immigrant from Bangladesh who loved New York and believed in God. "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 at a press conference.
"He embodies what the city is all about. He was a true-blue New Yorker not only in the uniform he wore, but in his spirit and energy of loving his city. Early tonight, I met with the officer's family and told them he was a hero and we admire him for putting his life on the line," he added.
The NYPD said that Islam represented the very best of the police department. "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 honour his legacy," said the police department.
Islam has been with the NYPD for three and a half years and is survived by his wife and two sons, said New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Local reports suggest his wife is eight months pregnant with their third child.
The officer was posted at the 47th Precinct in the Bronx. He has been serving in the police force since December 2021, reported The New York Post.
The three other victims included two women and a man. The police have withheld their identities until their families are informed. Another man was severely injured in the firing and is undergoing treatment.
The gunman, Shane Devon Tamura from Las Vegas, died of a self-inflicted injury, said New York police. He had a "documented mental health history", Commissioner Tisch told a press conference, adding that his motive is still being probed.
Tamura carried an AR-style rifle into the 345 Park Avenue skyscraper in crowded Midtown Manhattan at around 6:40 pm (local time), a few blocks from the Rockefeller Centre and the Museum of Modern Art. He first exchanged fire with an officer in the building's lobby and went to the 32nd or 33rd floor.
Sometime later, the police confirmed Islam's death and that the attacker had been neutralised.
