Roughly 100 officers from the NYPD arrived in Guyana on a flight Friday carrying the remains of a slain comrade from the South American nation.
Randolph Holder's colleagues and his grieving relatives walked alongside his coffin as it was wheeled on the tarmac of Guyana's international airport and brought to a hearse. President David Granger was expected to attend Holder's funeral on Saturday at the main Catholic cathedral in Georgetown.
"We are overwhelmed by the love and support shown to us by people both in the U.S. and Guyana," said Holder's father, also named Randolph, a retired NYPD officer.
Holder, a five-year veteran of the NYPD, was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 20 while responding to a report of shots fired and a bicycle stolen at gunpoint in East Harlem. A suspect has been arrested and charged with fatally shooting the officer in the head.
Earlier this week, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton posthumously promoted Holder to detective and issued him a new gold shield with the same number of the badge worn by his father. Holder's grandfather was also a law enforcer, having served in Guyana's police force.
At Guyana's airport, NYPD Capt. Rhonda O'Riley Bovell said she and about 60 other officers and city officials who accompanied Holder's coffin were from Guyana.
"We are his family and will always be supportive but I must tell you that officers are hurting. They are hurting real bad," she said.
