One of the victims of a horrific shooting in an office tower in New York has been revealed to be a brave NYPD officer who was due to become a father for the third time imminently.
The shooting erupted Monday evening at around 6:30PM inside 345 Park Avenue, a towering office building home to major corporations like Blackstone, KPMG, and the NFL.
Employees were seen fleeing the building with their hands raised as emergency responders secured the scene.
Among the dead was NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, who was working security inside the skyscraper while off-duty but still in uniform, as reported by CNN.
Islam, a husband and father of two with a third child due soon, had been with the department since December 2021, assigned to the 47th Precinct in the Bronx.
“He was doing what he does best and all members of the police department carry out, he was saving lives,” said Mayor Eric Adams during a somber press conference late Monday.
“He was protecting New Yorkers. He’s an immigrant from Bangladesh, and 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.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch became emotional as she reflected on Islam’s sacrifice, per the New York Post.
“He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm’s way, he made the ultimate sacrifice — shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to the city, he died as he lived: a hero,” she said.
“I want to extend my profound sympathies to all of the victims and their families and to the brave NYPD cops who today lost a brother.”
“He was a hardworking police officer who was proud we know from hearing from his family to put on that uniform and shield of a New York City police officer,” said PBA President Patrick Hendry.
“Every day, he went out and did his job, and he went out every single day to provide for his family, whether it was overtime or whatever he had to do to provide for this family.”
Islam’s death has left a massive void, both at home and within the department. His wife, eight months pregnant, now faces the heartbreaking reality of raising their three children without him.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Adams. “He was doing what he was trained to do, protecting lives.”
The attack claimed the lives of three other civilians, whose names have not been released, and left another person in critical but stable condition.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that one of the injured was a league employee. “He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition,” he stated. “We believe all other employees are safe and accounted for.”
Goodell also acknowledged the fallen officer’s bravery: “We are deeply grateful to Officer Islam, who gave his life to protect others.”
The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura of Las Vegas. Surveillance footage showed him entering the Park Avenue tower wearing sunglasses and dark clothing while carrying a rifle.
Tamura later barricaded himself on the 33rd floor, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
Authorities recovered a firearm, ammunition, his phone, and a note at the scene.
According to NBC News, the note indicated Tamura was experiencing deep mental health struggles, possibly tied to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma — often found in football players.
Investigators are probing whether his reported belief in having CTE influenced his decision to target the building, which houses the NFL’s headquarters.
The motive remains under investigation, but early reports suggest Tamura may have viewed the NFL as connected to his personal deterioration.