Randolph Holder, NYPD Officer, Fatally Shot in East Harlem

A New York City Police officer was fatally shot in East Harlem Tuesday night, according to the NYPD. Police commissioner Bill Bratton identified the officer as 33-year-old Randolph Holder, an immigrant from Guyana and the third generation in his family who served in law enforcement.

According to police, the officer was shot on Franklin Roosevelt Drive at 120th Street and taken to Harlem Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:22 p.m.

Holder along with other housing bureau officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of 102nd Street and First avenue around 8:30 p.m., where officers were told by a victim his bike had been stolen at gunpoint.Plainclothes officers encountered a male on a bicycle on the FDR footpath where there was an exchange of gunfire, Bratton said Holder was shot in the head during the exchange.

A suspect was apprehended by officers on 124th Street and taken into custody. Police said the suspect suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and was taken to the hospital. Three more males were taken into custody and are being questioned for their involvement in the incident.

“We’re in mourning tonight, the whole city is in mourning,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference early Wednesday. He called Holder a man who gave his life as a guardian to us all.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams released the following statement early Wednesday morning.

“I join the residents of Brooklyn and all of New York City in mourning the death of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder, who was fatally and tragically shot in the line of duty. As a veteran of the New York City Police Department, I feel the pain of this horrific loss on a personal level, as do all those that make up the fraternity of New York’s Finest. Officer Holder served his city proud, a pride felt deeply by his brothers and sisters from Housing PSA 5 as well as by his family, which carries a legacy in law enforcement going back several generations in Guyana. May he rest in peace, may justice be served, and may everyone in our city honor his memory by doing their part to make this a safer place for our children and families.”

FDR Drive remains closed between 96th and 125th streets. The city warns residents to consider alternate routes due to anticipated delays.

Holder is the fourth NYPD officer killed within the last 11 months. Officer Brian Moore, 25, of Massapequa died after being shot in an unmarked patrol car in May. In December, officers Wenjian Liu, 32 and Rafael Ramos, 40 were ambushed and fatally shot while sitting in their patrol car in Bed-Stuy.