Ceremony honors NYPD Det. Didarul Islam, who was killed 1 year ago in NYC's worst mass shooting in 25 years

NYPD Det. Didarul Islam went into work as a security guard on his day off a year ago and there, officials said, gave his life to protect others during a mass shooting at a Manhattan office building.

His July 28 death last year, which took place while he was off-duty but in uniform, left behind his two young sons and a newborn son who will never know his father. Islam, 36, was working at 345 Park Ave. as part of the NYPD’s Paid Detail unit. A gunman entered the lobby, fatally shooting him first and then three others in the building that houses the NFL's headquarters.  Another person was critically wounded, but survived.

New York City officials marked the anniversary of the city’s worst mass shooting in 25 years on Tuesday.

"Last year, we spoke about his son, who had not yet entered this world. There was sadness in knowing that Dar would never have a chance to hold his youngest son in his arms," said NYPD Deputy Insp. Muhammad Ashraf, commanding officer of the 47th Precinct. "He will grow up hearing stories about his father. He will know that his father wore this uniform with honor and was deeply loved by his family, respected by his fellow officers, and admired by this community he served. Most importantly, he will know that his father's name did not end on that tragic day in July."

NYPD Officer Kamrul Hasan, Islam’s brother-in-law, said the community and the police department had come to support the family, including Islam’s son, Arham, born three weeks after his death.

"Over the past year, every family gathering has felt incomplete. There is always an empty place that no one can replace. We miss him every single day," Hasan said.

Islam regularly volunteered for overtime, special details and off-duty assignments to provide for his family in the Bronx's Parkchester neighborhood and relatives in Bangladesh, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. He also raised money for his cousin’s Masjid Bilal at the Bronx Islamic Cultural Center in Parkchester.

Under the Paid Detail unit, NYPD officers are allowed to work in uniform at paid assignments outside of their regular shifts. A day earlier, he had worked for the NYPD at the city’s Dominican Day parade.

Islam was faithfully devoted to his family and others, Mamdani said. He took his brother-in-law to get his learner’s permit and mentored young men in the community to join the police force.

"Det. Islam died as he lived, in the service and protection of others. ... He placed himself in front of an assault rifle so that his fellow New Yorkers could escape to safety," Mamdani said. "It is an act of courage, unfathomable to most. Though a year has passed, I know that his loss remains painfully raw."

The NYPD Police Benevolent Association worked with legislators to also pass the Didarul Islam Recruitment Act, signed in May, to secure additional pension benefits for officers, such as Islam, with previous city service, PBA president Patrick Hendry said.