RANDOLPH Holder, the Guyana-born New York police officer killed in the line of duty, was on Saturday hailed as a hero by his colleagues at the final funeral ceremony held in Georgetown.

“He is a true hero of Guyana; you should all be proud of him,” said Captain Reymondo Mundo at the funeral service held in the morning at the Brickdam Cathedral. Mundo serves as the

commander of the Police Service Area #5, which is in charge of policing New York City Housing Developments in the 23rd, 25th and 28th New York City Police Precincts. He was among some 60 NYPD officers who came to Guyana for the final tributes for their colleague, with whom they “chased the bad guys together.”

Holder, 33, was killed on October 20 while chasing a suspect.
At a moving ceremony in New York, the city’s Police Commissioner, William J. Bratton, promoted Holder to detective and gave him the same badge number his father had while he worked as a policeman in Guyana, # 9657.

Holder’s body arrived in Guyana on Thursday evening, and was kept at the Merriman’s Funeral Home until Saturday morning, when it was retrieved for the funeral service.

The body arrived at the Brickdam Cathedral to a salute by NYPD officers, who stood through an early- morning downpour. Several persons stood on the road with umbrellas to watch the proceedings, until the body was lifted to the entrance of the cathedral and then wheeled inside for the beginning of the church service, which was attended by a few hundred persons, including the NYPD officers, Holder’s family members, and a few outsiders.

Diane Mitchell, 46, a housewife, was among those at the cathedral. She had never known Holder, but watched the New York funeral on

TV and was impressed that Holder was honoured in such a way, and so she decided to attend the funeral service.

“I just came to observe; from what I saw on TV, he must have been someone who did a lot of good,” she said. She brought along a friend with her to the cathedral.

The obituary was read by Arika Noel, the wife of Kelon Noel, Holder’s younger brother. She described the slain cop as humble and responsible, and noted that at times in New York he would help shovel snow from the neighbour’s driveway.

“No one ever saw him angry,” she said, echoing the sentiments of family members, neighbours and friends, who all described him as a cool and calm person.
“He listened, and was never judgmental,” she said, adding that he lived his life as an officer with a sense of purpose.

“He had his life all mapped out,” Arika Noel said of her late brother-in-law.

Mundo then asked the NYPD contingent (about 100 who came in for the funeral) to stand, and he said a prayer for them, asking God to keep them safe and walk before them.

Desmond King, an uncle, described Holder as a good man who had taken on the NYPD job even while knowing the risks involved. “It was a risk he had to take, and it’s the risk heroes do to make a difference,” King said.

Tributes were also delivered by members of the Guyanese Ex-Presidential Guard and Immigration Services of New York, and the Ex-Guyana Defence Force Association of New York.
Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green, in his tribute, urged all to emulate Holder, calling him an “honourable citizen.”

“Let us all humbly do what he did in our country and elsewhere, to rid the world of crime and those elements who are intent on tarnishing our societies.”

Guyanese singer and current Miss Guyana, Lisa Punch, paid tribute in a song called “One Last Time.”
After Mayor Green’s tribute, President David Granger arrived at the cathedral.

“The President knew the grandmother of Holder, Elizabeth Lovell, since he [the President] was a young boy living in the Corentyne, Region 6,” the President’s Office said in announcing that he would attend the funeral service.

After the arrival of the President, the eulogy was read by Holder’s aunt, Marcia Lovell, who described him as someone who had always lived with hope and optimism. She recalled that Holder would always say that even if you don’t have a lot in life, you can still find fulfilment in helping others.

Also attending the funeral service were U.S. Ambassador Perry Holloway; Guyana’s Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan; and Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud.