By Ruma Paul
DHAKA (Reuters) -The New York police officer killed in a mass shooting in a Manhattan skyscraper on Monday was an immigrant who left behind a pregnant wife, two young sons and distraught parents, while friends and officials in Bangladesh and the United States described him as a hero.
A gunman opened fire on Monday inside a midtown office tower, killing four people, including Officer Didarul Islam, 36, before fatally shooting himself, officials said.
A second victim was described by his union president as a dedicated security guard and, according to the New York Times, was a member of an immigrant family from Haiti. Aland Etienne, who was working in the lobby of the building at the time of the shooting, was also described as a “New York hero.”
Syed Tanjib Mujib, a childhood friend of Islam from their home district in the South Asian nation of Bangladesh, said Islam left for the U.S. with his parents and other family members in 2009.
“And the way he died, it’s heartbreaking, but not surprising. That’s just the kind of person he was,” he said. “Always thinking of others, always ready to help. He died trying to save lives … Our hearts are broken, but we’re proud of him. He’ll always be remembered.”
Excluding Islam, 42 federal, state, county, municipal, military, and U.S. 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.
New York Mayor Eric Adams, who met the officer’s family on Monday night, also described the 3-1/2-year veteran of the police department as a hero.
“He was saving lives, he was protecting New Yorkers,” Adams told reporters. “He loved this city, and everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God.”
Islam was married, had two young sons, and his wife is pregnant, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters.
“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.
Mizanul Haque, a cousin of Islam, speaking to Reuters from the district of Moulvibazar in Bangladesh, said that Islam visited Bangladesh last year in February with his wife and their two boys, aged 7 and 5, and attended his wedding.
Haque said that Islam’s father suffered a stroke after hearing the news, and said that his mother has not said a word since learning of his death.
“I have no idea how to console them,” he said. “What do you even say to a family that’s been shattered like this? All I can hope for now is justice. He didn’t deserve to die like this.”
‘DEDICATED’ GUARD
“This tragedy speaks to the sacrifice of security officers who risk their lives every day to keep New Yorkers and our buildings safe,” Manny Pastereich, president of 32BJ SEIU union, said in a statement. “Aland Etienne is a New York hero. We will remember him as such.”
Etienne’s brother posted a tribute to the slain security guard on his Facebook page. “My family suffered a heartbreaking tragedy,” Gathmand Etienne wrote. “He was more than a brother – he was a father, a son and a light in our eyes.”
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Etienne’s family was from Haiti, and that he was the father of two school-aged children. Reuters could not immediately confirm that reporting, and calls to phone numbers associated with his relatives were not answered.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Additional reporting by Kanshka Singh in Washington, Rich McKay in Atlanta and Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Donna Bryson, Frank McGurty, Nick Zieminski and Matthew Lewis)
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