Father of Didarul Islam, cop who was killed by Shane Tamura in NYC shooting, had stroke upon hearing news: relative
The father of hero NYPD cop Didarul Islam grew so distraught when he learned of his son’s death at the hands of a deranged gunman in Midtown Manhattan that he suffered a stroke, his family told The Post.
The slain cop’s cousin said the Monday evening shooting by rifle-toting maniac Shane Tamura also rattled Islam’s pregnant wife, who is due to give birth to their third child next month.
Islam, 36, was scheduled to take his wife for a hospital appointment on Tuesday morning — so another of New York’s Finest stepped in to take the grieving widow instead, the family said.
4Didarul Islam was killed in the mass shooting.NYPD
“They are all crying,” cousin Muhammad Mainul Islam said. “There is no brother — only him.
“The family is really feeling a big problem,” he said of his cop cousin, a beloved member of the Big Apple Bangladeshi community. “His wife had the doctor’s appointment. I heard one police officer from the precinct, she took [her] to the hospital.
“His father went last night to see him,” he added. “When he heard the message, he had a stroke, feeling bad. So he had a stroke so the hospital did not release him.”
The married father of two was among four people shot dead by Tamura at the 44-story Park Avenue building around 6:30 p.m.
“This is a devastating night for our city, for our police department,” NYPD PBA President Patrick Hendry said in a statement. “Pure evil came to the heart of our city and struck innocent people and one of our police officers who were protecting those people.
“We lost four tonight, and our hero brother, he gave his life for this city,” Hendry said. “Every day he went out and did his job.”
Islam was also a devout member of the Big Apple Bangladeshi community, whose two sons attend summer programs at the BICC Masjid Bilal in the Parkchester section of the Bronx.
He arrived in the US in 2009 and joined New York’s Finest in 2021.
Anamul Haque, the general secretary of the masjid, or mosque, said Islam was a generous member of the community.
“We have lost someone important to us,” he said. “I am shocked. I saw him five or six days ago when he came to pick up his son. I say, ‘Everything is okay?’ [He] says yes and we shake hands.
4Shane Tamura seen in surveillance video before the shooting Monday.Obtained by NY Post
“He never says no,” Haque added. “When we start, we build, he donated $5,000 or $6,000 right away for the masjid. Last Ramadan, he gave $2,000 or $3,000 right away.”
Islam knew the risks of the job, but was committed to serving the people of New York, Haque said.
“This is his job,” Haque said. “He knows this job is dangerous. Always risky — he knows. That is why he takes this job. He knows others will not take this job. The police job, to save the city, to save the people. He takes this job for us, for his family.”
Islam was also well known in his hometown of Kulaura, said Ilius Khusro, president of the Kulaura Association in Bangladesh.
“I know him really well,” Khurso said. “Everyone cries for him. He is a wonderful man. People who know him and don’t know him in the Bangladeshi community are sad.”
Islam was one of about 3,000 Bangladeshi uniformed officers and traffic agents in the NYPD, Mohammed Ali, general secretary of the Bangladeshi American Society, told The Post.
4Family and friends of Didarul Islam, who was shot and killed by a gunman Monday evening.AP
“He loved the city,” Ali said. “Bangladeshis are weeping.
“They’re proud to wear the uniform, the badge,” he said of cops in the community. “My nephew is a police officer stationed in the Bronx. I’m worried about him too.”
Police said Tamura, 27, drove from Las Vegas to target the NFL’s headquarters, walked into the building at 345 Park Ave. armed with an assault rifle, and opened fire.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest coverage of the 345 Park Ave. shooting
Islam, who was in uniform, was the first victim, Mayor Eric Adams said at a press briefing Tuesday.
“From the video that I saw, he had very — a short period of time, I would say, to be able to respond,” Adams said. “This gunman was clear on his intention to bring harm.”
Tamura then shot security guard Aland Etienne, 46, and 43-year-old Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner in the lobby before heading for the elevator — where he inexplicably let a woman pass unharmed.
4NYPD officers bring out the body of Didarul Islam.AP
Adams said the killer appeared to be seeking NFL offices in the building but mistakenly took the wrong elevator and traveled to the 33rd floor, which houses the offices of Rudin Management.
There, he shot and killed Rudin employee Juia Hyman before he turned the gun on himself and fired a fatal shot to his chest.
One NFL employee, Craig Clemente, 41, was wounded in the senseless attack, law enforcement sources said.
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Police are now planning a candlelight vigil for the slain cop in front of the 47th Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx on Thursday, the sources said.
“He was an all-around great guy,” one Bronx cop said of Islam. “Liked by everybody who worked and knew him.
“Work and family was his life,” the officer said. “He just wanted to provide the best for his family.”
Meanwhile, a fundraiser set up by FundtheFirst.com on Tuesday sought to raise $500,000 to help Islam’s family.
The site had raised nearly $75,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
Additional reporting by Tina Moore and Larry Celona