Father of fallen NYPD officer Didarul Islam remembers his son, killed in Midtown mass shooting
PARKCHESTER, The Bronx (WABC) -- The family of fallen NYPD Officer Didarul Islam spoke out for the first time since the 36-year-old detective was killed in last Monday's mass shooting at 345 Park Ave. in Midtown Manhattan.
The Islam family invited journalists to their home in Parkchester, where the father delivered remarks through a translator.
Islam's father described the emptiness he feels without his only son. He said he thinks about him all the time.
"He didn't hurt anyone. He protected the people around him. It makes me very proud to know that his life wasn't lost in vain," Islam's father said through a translator. "I feel like I'm in darkness, but I will try my best so my grandsons can always remember him."
The father thanked the media and New Yorkers for their support during such difficult times -- singling out New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Mayor Eric Adams.
The officer's father, who suffered a stroke when he found out that his son was killed, was visibly emotional. He sobbed as he asked for prayers for his grandsons, hoping that they grown up to be kind and strong.
Islam was the embodiment of the changing face of the NYPD. An immigrant from Bangladesh, he was part of a growing wave of Bengali officers, starting as a school safety agent before COVID, and ultimately making it to the academy, and to the streets of the 47th Precinct in the North Bronx.
Last Monday, with his wife expecting their third child, Islam was working overtime as security at 345 Park, when 27-year-old Shane Tamura, armed with an assault rifle, strafed the lobby. Islam would be his first victim.
Even through their grief, the family of Islam says they have no regrets about his chosen profession.
"In this difficult time, we saw something powerful," said Islam's brother-in-law, Zamilur Rahman. "People from all walks of life, from all parts of the city, coming together to support one another. The sense of unity gives us hope."
Rahman called his brother a "hero."
"We love him so much," he said.
His sisters even have a message for fellow members of New York's finest. Keep doing what you're doing, they said.
Meanwhile, new video and audio obtained by ABC News of the gunman, includes footage of some of his arrests.
In one case, Tamura is seen getting pulled over by police in May last year, driving what appears to be the same BMW he drove to New York. The stop was for operating an unlicensed vehicle.
There is also a call to 911 from his mother, saying he has a gun and has threatened to end his life.
That was just part of the picture from how so many lives changed during the shooting last week.
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