• Source:JND
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Didarul Islam: He died a hero and a father-to-be. Officer Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant, was among four people killed when a gunman opened fire inside a Manhattan skyscraper on Monday. As chaos erupted in the midtown high-rise, Officer Islam put his life on the line to protect others, a final act of bravery hailed by New York's mayor and police commissioner. At home, his pregnant wife now grieves the loss of her husband, as she prepares to welcome their third child, a baby who will never meet their father.

He was saving lives...: Adams 

"We lost four souls to another senseless act of gun violence, including a member of the New York City Police Department, Officer Islam," New York Mayor Eric Adams told reporters in a press conference late on Monday. Adams said the officer was a three and a half year veteran of the police department. "He was saving lives, he was protecting New Yorkers," Adams said. "He loved this city, and everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person who believed in God."

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Adams said he met the officer's family on Monday night. "I told them that he was a hero, and we admire him for putting his life on the line," the mayor added. "I am praying for his wife, children, parents, and loved ones. I cannot imagine the pain they're going through. When NYPD members go to work every day, their families pray a day like this never happens. We will be with them every step of the way," said mayor.

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Who was Didarul Islam?

Islam was married, had two young sons, and his wife is pregnant with a third child, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in the press conference. "He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice — shot in cold blood," she said. Islam was working on a paid security detail in the building when the shooting occurred, the commissioner added. Such details allow "companies to hire officers in uniform to provide extra uniform security," she said.

Excluding Islam, 42 federal, state, county, municipal, military, and US territories officers have died in the line of duty in the first half of 2025, according to preliminary data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

(With inputs from agency)