One year after police officer Didarul Islam was killed in the lobby of a Midtown office tower, those who knew him returned to the Bronx precinct he called home.
“Since his passing, much of the world has come to know Didar through the circumstances of his loss. Those gathered here knew a far larger life,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Islam was working an NYPD-approved security detail at 345 Park Avenue when a gunman targeting the NFL headquarters opened fire, killing three others before taking his own life.
In a note, the gunman blamed football and the league for brain damage he believed he’d suffered.
On Tuesday, outside the 47th Precinct station house, the focus was making sure Islam’s end of watch isn’t the end of his story.
“There is always an empty place that no one can replace. We miss you every single day,” Islam’s brother-in-law, Kamrul Hasan, said.
Just days ago, the Bronx block where Islam raised his family became “Detective Didarul Islam Way.”
The slain officer had been promoted to the rank of detective following his death.
In Albany, lawmakers are backing the Didarul Islam Police Recruitment Act, legislation named in his honor that would recognize prior public safety service toward NYPD pensions, a path he took himself before becoming a police officer.
“Like so many immigrants, he believed in the promise of America and through hard work, sacrifice and faith, he could build a better future for his family, and he did,” Deputy Inspector Muhammad Ashraf said.
A year has passed since the city’s deadliest mass shooting in a quarter century. But for those who loved Detective Diderul Islam, the measure of time isn’t the anniversary.
It’s measured by the legacy his department is determined to pass on, ensuring future officers remember not just how he died but why he served.