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A friend on behalf of slain New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Didarul Islam’s wife spoke a message from her at his funeral on Thursday, and he was promoted posthumously at the service that dignitaries attended.
New York City police officers lined city streets to honor their colleague who was killed when a gunman entered a Midtown Manhattan office building and opened fire earlier this week.
Officer Islam was one of four people killed inside the building on Monday evening. Islam, a 36-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, was a father of two whose wife is pregnant with their third child.
“Though my heart is broken, I find comfort knowing that his sacrifice may have saved others in that lobby,” the wife’s message, read aloud, said.
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“People who are able to go home to their families that day. I want to thank the NYPD and our entire community for standing beside us. The NYPD is a vital part of the city,” the message said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch promoted Islam to detective first grade during the service.
“Detective first grade is one of this department’s most respected honors. It is a symbol of trust, of excellence and the kind of judgment that others depend on. And while detective first grade Didarul Islam didn’t have the time to walk the full path, he embodied those qualities and more steadiness, selflessness, and a commitment to serve the night that he was killed,” Tisch said.
On Thursday, services for Islam began with a viewing at Parkchester Jame Masjid, a mosque in the Bronx.
Officers in dress uniform lined up four rows deep in front of the mosque before viewings began.
The viewings on Thursday will be followed by a prayer service. Islam will then be buried at a cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey.
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Islam was off duty, working security for the building when he was killed. The office building housed both Blackstone, an investment firm, and the NFL headquarters, among other companies.
Islam served as a school safety agent before becoming a patrol officer less than four years ago. He was assigned to a precinct in the Bronx, where he lived with his wife and two sons.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, met with Islam’s family and attended the dignified transfer of the slain officer. Adams said that Islam “embodies what this city is all about. He’s a true blue New Yorker, not only in the uniform he wore.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also attended the funeral.
Police have identified the gunman as 27-year-old Shane Tamura. Tamura, a Las Vegas resident with a history of mental health issues, began shooting in the lobby before moving to another floor and later turning the gun on himself.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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