Officer Didarul Islam, who was working private security at the time, was shot in the back in the Blackstone building in Manhattan, New York City, which left other four innocent people dead.
A “hero” police officer and four people have been killed by a gunman in a New York City skyscraper shooting.
Six others have been injured, and office employees have been evacuated from homes and businesses during the horror, which happened in the Blackstone skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan area of the Big Apple at around 6.30pm local time, reports the Mirror.
Police confirmed officer Didarul Islam, 36, lost his life in the travesty described as “pure evil” by authorities. The married father of two was lauded as a “hero brother” by his colleagues at a press conference last night.
Officer Islam was shot dead in the back, as he acted as a security guard in the lobby of 345 Park Avenue. He was reportedly rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery which was sadly unsuccessful in saving his life.
The skyscraper in question includes multiple tenants – including the NFL, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase and the Blackstone Group.
The gunman, named by police as Shane Tamura, 27, barricaded himself inside a building and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed. New York Police Department’s helicopters had been seen swarming above Midtown Manhattan.
The New York Police Department confirmed that one of its officers shot has died in hospital in a tragic update.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that two NYPD officers have been shot, and we mourn the tragic loss of one of them. Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones, and colleagues of the officers affected.
“We stand in solidarity with the NYPD during this difficult time and honour the bravery and sacrifice of all those who serve to protect our communities,” the statement reads.
Eric Adams, New York City Mayor, paid tribute to Mr Islam at a press conference, describing the horror as “despicable”.
He said his thoughts are with the families of those affected. “This never gets easy,” he said.
Mr Islam, a father of two, was an immigrant from Bangladesh according to the mayor. Mr Adams identified him as “Officer Islam”, and called him a “true blue New Yorker”. He says he met the family of the murdered officer, and “I told them he’s a hero“.
Mayor Eric Adams continued: “No words can describe this active evil… We must fight to protect innocent New Yorkers.”
He passed the conference onto NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who said there was an M4 rifle involved and there was a revolver with magazines of ammunition found in the suspect’s vehicle.
She also confirmed the gunman had a driver’s license from the state of Nevada and was thought to have been Shane Tamura, aged 27.
Tamura travelled “cross-country” to get to New York – through Colorado on July 26, Nebraska and Iowa on July 27 then Columbia, New Jersey as recently as this afternoon. It is a journey of more than 2,500 miles. The vehicle entered New York shortly after.
Police say the gunman in the New York City office tower shooting had a “documented mental health history,” but motive is still unknown.
“Officer Islam was married with two young boys. His wife is pregnant with their third child. He’s assigned to the four seven precinct in the Bronx.
“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 this city, he died as he lived, a hero,” Ms Tisch added at the news conference Monday evening.
A chilling photograph – issued by authorities in New York – shows a young man, said to be the suspect, stroll calmly the across Park Avenue skyscraper’s entry plaza. He’s pictured with an assault rifle at his side moments before the carnage happened in the Big Apple.
A witness told Fox News he saw huge commotion. “I saw a rush of people come from behind me… Somebody said ‘gunshots, gunshots’ and then I turned around and more people were running.
“I saw a bunch of cops, guns drawn, going into the side entrance.”
One witness on the first floor described hearing what sounded “like an automatic weapon, like a high-capacity weapon” amid the chaos. Authorities had the neighbourhood on lockdown with residents and office workers evacuated – or, in some cases, told to remain inside their buildings.