Bangladeshi immigrant and New York police officer Didarul Islam, who was killed in a shooting in Manhattan, was honoured in a Bronx funeral service by the NYDP on Thursday, reports US-based media outlet USA Today.
His funeral took place at the Parkchester Jame Masjid mosque on Thursday.
Hundreds attended the funeral and procession honouring Islam, who had served with the department for just under four years.
Officer Didarul Islam was 'a husband, father, and dedicated public servant'
Didarul Islam, 36, was an immigrant from Bangladesh who had been with the department for 3-1/2 years, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. He was a member of the 47th Precinct, which serves the northern Bronx.
A statement on the precinct's social media pages said Islam was "a husband, father, and dedicated public servant." New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a social media statement that Islam is survived by two young sons and his wife, who is expecting the couple's third child.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference that Islam died "doing the job we asked him to do."
"He put himself in harm's way," Tisch said. "He made the ultimate sacrifice, shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to this city. He died as he lived, a hero."
Governor Kathy Hochul pays respects to Didarul
Didarul's body was taken to Parkchester Jame Masjid, draped in the flag of the New York Police Department. There, it was handed over for the funeral prayer with a guard of honour. New York Governor Kathy Hochul was present at the handover ceremony.
Hochul said. "We should not just think of them in times where they lose a brother or sister; they should be in our hearts and minds with a sense of gratitude for individuals like Officer Islam, who came to this country to give his family a better life."
Didarul receives posthumous promotion
"I'm not here as the mayor, I'm here as a parent, as a father," said Adams. "Sons aren't supposed to bury their dads, mothers are supposed to be buried by their daughters and their children; there is nothing more tragic than having a parent bury their child."
Islam was born in Sylhet, Bangladesh and moved to New York at the age of 20 "for a better life," said Tisch, where he started as a school safety agent in 2019 before moving to the Bronx's 47th Precinct two years later.
She also tearfully promoted Islam to a first-grade detective, posthumously.
"He was our world"
On behalf of Didarul's family, his brother-in-law and New York Police Department officer Kamrul Hasan read out a heartfelt message.
"He was a proud father, he was an uncle, he was a brother, and he was a dependable person. He was a good leader. Anything anybody needed, anything, he came, he was helping everybody," he said.
In tearful eyes, Didarul's wife said, "I stand before you today with a heart full of sorrow, grieving the loss of my beloved husband. He was a devoted son, beloved brother and most loving father. To our family, he was our world."
Didarul was on duty at 345 Park Avenue on July 28 when he, along with at least four others, was killed in a shooting by an armed assailant.
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