Briar Place in Far Rockaway, Queens, is now Detective Randolph Holder Way, after an Aug. 4 ceremony paid tribute to the fallen Guyanese-born NYPD detective who was gunned down in the line of duty in Harlem, New York two years ago.
The parents of Detective Holder gathered at the Far Rockaway corner with Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill, elected officials and scores of NYPD officers to witness the unveiling of the New York City Council street naming, that honored the outstanding work of the late cop. Holder was 33 years old when he was slain.
Mayor de Blasio praised parents, Princess and Randolph Holder Sr. for the disciplined way in which they raised the younger Holder.
The mayor said Holder Jr. was deeply proud to be a member of the NYPD. “Beyond his devotion to duty, he was a man of joy, warmth, and kindness,” said de Blasio.
The street sign, said NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill sent out a message that didn’t die along with the rookie cop, according to the New York Daily news.
“As we move through the years, maybe some young man or a young girl will look up at that sign, and someone will tell them what a great person Randolph Holder was, and what a great job he did,” acceding to several reports.
Randolph Holder Sr., a resident of Far Rockaway told a crowd of friends, family and neighbors that the day of the unveiling was a very special one that will be put in the record books.
“That sign up there means a lot because it’s the name of a good person, my son,” he said.
Holder Jr. who migrated to the United States from Guyana at a young age, followed in the footsteps of his dad and granddad, who both served in the Guyana Police Force.
