NYC mass shooting: Who was Didarul Islam, Bangladesh-origin police officer killed in Manhattan office tower gunfire?
The officer who died was Didarul Islam, aged 36. He had moved from Bangladesh and served in the
New York Police Department
(NYPD) for three and a half years. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called him a hero and said, 'He died as he lived. A hero.' Islam was married, had two young sons, and his wife is currently pregnant with their third child.
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The attacker has been identified as Shane Tamura, a man from Las Vegas. He had a known history of mental health issues, but the exact reason behind the attack is still unclear, Tisch said. Authorities are still investigating why he chose this particular building.
— NYPDnews (@NYPDnews)
How the Attack Happened
Surveillance footage shows Tamura getting out of a BMW with an M4 rifle. He shot Officer Islam as soon as he entered the building, then opened fire on a woman who tried to hide. He continued firing into the lobby, hitting several people.
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Tamura then took a lift to the 33rd floor, where he entered a real estate office and shot another person dead. He walked down a hallway and then shot himself, police said.
In his car, police found a rifle case, a revolver, magazines, and extra ammunition.
One man is still in critical condition following the attack, Mayor Eric Adams said, adding that 'five innocent people were shot' along with the shooter.
Eyewitness Accounts
Jessica Chen, who was on the second floor attending a presentation, told ABC News that she heard several gunshots in quick succession. She and others hid inside a conference room and used tables to block the door. 'We were really scared,' she said. 'I texted my parents to tell them I love them.'
Local television showed people evacuating the building with their hands above their heads. The office tower is located on Park Avenue and houses several major firms including Blackstone, and the Consulate General of Ireland.
Extra Security
Commissioner Tisch mentioned that two NYPD officers were working at the building as part of a private detail — a programme where businesses can hire uniformed officers for added security.
Nearby workers said they heard a loud noise and saw people running. 'It was like crowd panic,' said Anna Smith, who had been picking up dinner. Many took shelter in nearby buildings until the situation was under control.
The area around the building was closed off, and the city issued alerts for traffic delays and transport disruptions.
Despite this tragedy, officials said that up to late July, New York City is on track to record its lowest number of murders and gun violence injuries in decades.
Inputs from agencies
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a day ago
- Mint
NYCs Horrific Shooting Is Deeply Personal for Police Boss Jessica Tisch
(Bloomberg) -- It was just after 1:30 a.m., and Jessica Tisch was walking the eerie quiet of 345 Park Avenue, surveying the detritus of a deadly attack. As the scrunch of broken glass cut the silence and blood still glistened on the floor, a distraught Tisch confronted her most challenging moment yet as New York City's police commissioner. Mere hours earlier, a lone gunman with an assault rifle stalked this very space, ending the life of four people before taking his own. Tisch's critical role had already placed her at the nexus of business, law enforcement and politics. Now, the city's worst mass shooting in 25 years intersected with her deep ties to the New York establishment, thrusting a deeply personal moment into the open. Strands of fate connected Tisch, 44, to the victims of Monday evening's rampage. Didarul Islam, killed in the lobby, was an officer in the police force she leads. Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, shot after trying to take cover behind a column, was her personal friend. The setting itself held weight for Tisch. The 44-story tower is owned by Rudin Management, run by a 100-year-old property dynasty that has been closely linked with Tisch's billionaire real estate family for generations. Julia Hyman, an associate at Rudin, was killed on the 33rd floor by the gunman, after he shot building security guard Aland Etienne. 'Aland, Julia, my beautiful friend Wesley, and police officer Didarul Islam — they were taken from our arms in violence,' an emotional Tisch said at a vigil this week. The shooter had intended to target the offices of the National Football League, an employee of which was seriously injured. The NFL's New York Giants team is owned by another member of the Tisch family. Commissioner Tisch has previously touted dropping crime rates in New York City, and has presided over a 6% reduction in major crimes during the first half of the year. Her steady hand in the top job — she was appointed in November last year — has already made her a flashpoint in the ongoing mayoral race as business leaders seek assurances she will retain her role even in a new administration. 'Given her family dynamic, there were people in city government who didn't know her and frankly didn't expect much before working with her,' said Eric Phillips, a friend of the commissioner and an aide to former Mayor Bill de Blasio. 'Her name may have opened some doors, but she's the real deal, and even her critics privately admit that.' Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor and a vocal critic of the police force in the past, has more recently struck a conciliatory tone. He lauded the response to the attack and even reached out to have a conversation with Tisch after the shooting, according to a spokesperson. With the city on edge, Tisch is the right person for the job, according to Amanda Hindlian, who has held senior roles at Goldman Sachs and the New York Stock Exchange — two of the city's most prominent symbols of commerce. 'New Yorkers still have to contend with violence, whether in an office building or a CEO walking outside of a hotel in Midtown Manhattan,' Hindlian said. 'She has the trust of the business community.' For Hindlian, it's critical that Tisch stay on the job as police commissioner as a 'check and balance' to a potential Mayor Mamdani, who has set out a flurry of proposals — ranging from tax hikes to rent freezes — that have dismayed the city's moneyed class. Indeed, if it were up to Wall Street and the business community, the real estate heiress would be the next New York City mayor. 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'The next mayor — whomever it is — would be wise to retain her.' Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after being vanquished in the Democratic primary, as well as Mamdani have said they would consider keeping Tisch as commissioner. The real estate advocacy group, The Association for a Better New York, got its start in 1971, led by the Rudin family. Its inaugural meeting took place at the Regency Hotel on Park Avenue, in what came to be known as the original power breakfast. That has given the Tisch family-owned Loews Regency its standing in the city as the convening spot for movers and shakers. Jessica Tisch, however, has so far stayed away from the family business. While Tisch — a puzzles enthusiast — has held other roles within the country's largest police force, she has never been a uniformed police officer. 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'Rats Don't Run the City' While she has eschewed the limelight, her stint as trash boss was a source of amusement for those around her. As sanitation commissioner, Tisch's ultimatums to the rodent residents of the city caught fire on social media as she spearheaded an effort to help NYC rebound from the pandemic. 'Rats are absolutely going to hate this announcement, but the rats don't run the city — we do,' she said in one viral missive. Just a few days after Adams gave her the reins to the police department, Tisch faced her first major test. In early December, UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive Brian Thompson was murdered on his way to an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan. A manhunt ended with the arrest of Luigi Mangione, and both state and federal prosecutors are now pursuing cases against him. He has pleaded not guilty. Thompson's killing occurred just a few blocks from Monday evening's shooting at 345 Park Avenue. 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