NEW YORK – An off-duty NYPD officer who was fatally shot in Midtown Manhattan on Monday has been identified as 36-year-old Didarul Islam, police confirmed at a press conference Monday evening.
Islam, a three-and-a-half-year veteran of the department and an immigrant from Bangladesh, was married with two young sons. His wife is currently eight months pregnant with their third child. Mayor Eric Adams said Islam was his father’s only son.
Islam was one of four people fatally shot inside 345 Park Avenue, a high-rise office building that houses major tenants including Blackstone and the NFL. A fifth person was critically injured, and four others suffered minor injuries while fleeing, officials said.
Officer dead in Midtown Manhattan shooting
What we know:
The gunman, 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Nevada, died by suicide after opening fire on multiple floors of the building. Surveillance footage shows Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW around 6:28 p.m. with an M4-style rifle. NYPD officials said he entered the lobby and immediately shot Officer Islam, then shot a woman nearby, before heading into the elevator.
Tamura continued to the upper floors, where he shot a security guard and another man. He then took the elevator to the 33rd floor, where he shot and killed one more person before fatally shooting himself in the chest, police said.
Authorities say Tamura drove cross-country and arrived in New York the same day of the shooting. He had a history of mental health issues, and investigators are still working to determine why he targeted this location.
About the victims in Midtown Manhattan shooting
What we don’t know:
The condition of the other victims is unknown at this time.
About Midtown Manhattan shooting
The backstory:
A shooting at a Midtown Manhattan office building on Monday left at least five people dead, including an off-duty NYPD officer, according to sources who spoke with the Associated Press. The gunman, identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Nevada, fatally shot himself after opening fire inside the tower at 345 Park Avenue, which houses top financial firms and the National Football League’s New York headquarters.
Emergency crews were dispatched around 6:30 p.m., according to the FDNY. Surveillance footage reviewed by NYPD showed Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW with an M4-style rifle before walking into the building and firing multiple rounds.
The building sits at the intersection of East 51st Street and Park Avenue, a busy corridor near Grand Central Terminal and just east of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. In the moments following the shooting, video taken by a FOX 5 NY employee showed officers tending to victims on the ground, and several people being carried out of the building by police.
Mayor Eric Adams urged anyone still inside the building to shelter in place while police conducted a floor-by-floor search. He later confirmed multiple deaths and said he had spoken with the family of one of the victims at the hospital.
Finance workers at a nearby building told reporters they heard a loud sound and saw people running. “It was like a crowd panic,” said Anna Smith, who took cover inside an office building for nearly two hours.
The city’s emergency alert system warned of major traffic delays and subway disruptions in the area for several hours. FBI agents also responded to the scene to assist with the investigation.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from reporting at the scene by FOX 5 New York. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
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