–to join family in memorial service for fallen Guyana-born NYPD Detective

TWO years after he was laid to rest, the family and colleagues of Guyana-born New York Police Department (NYPD) Detective, Randolph Holder, aka Randy, still feel the pain they felt on the day he was buried.
“It is still very sad, but we will be going forward,” said the hero’s father, Randolph Holder (Snr) during an interview with members of the media at Le Repentir Cemetery where he was buried, and where a memorial service was held on Saturday in remembrance of him.
Holder said that although the family is coping well, with the support of the NYPD and other friends, Randy’s presence is still very much missed in their home.

Other relatives expressed their grief in different ways. One of Randy’s relatives said she could remember when he would occasionally travel to Guyana and change the atmosphere of their home with his presence.

Holder was killed on October 20, 2015, after being shot in the head in East Harlem, New York. He and his partner had been chasing a man after responding to a call saying that shots were being fired, and that a bicycle was stolen at gunpoint. Authorities alleged that the suspect hopped off the stolen bicycle and shot Holder in the head.
The fallen policeman was born in Guyana but migrated to the USA at a very tender age, and later enlisted in the NYPD, where he served for five years prior to his demise. His parents served as police officers here in Guyana prior to migrating.
Described as their hero, family members said Holder always wanted to be a policeman, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who served as officers in Guyana.
Holder joined the NYPD in 2010 and was assigned to a unit that patrolled the city’s public housing complexes.

He leaves behind his fiancée, Maryiane Muhammad, father and stepmother, two brothers, a sister and many extended family members.
Holder sought to be a role model to his own family, and embraced the opportunity to be a leader for the city’s youth. He wanted to take on that responsibility.
NYPD Inspector, Clint McPherson said Randy was an asset to the Force and his loss was a tremendous blow to them.
It, however, brought a few Guyana-born officers and those with Guyanese roots together to form an organisation.

The organisation has been doing a lot of charitable work to assist Guyanese, and to work closely with Randy’s family to support local clinics and orphanages. They recently donated 100 bulletproof vests to the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
McPherson said the Force and the organisation would continue to donate as long as they were able.

Commissioner of Police (Ag.), David Ramnarine met with members of the Ex-Police Associations of Guyana and the NYPD, led by Captain Kevin L. Taylor and Inspector Mc Pherson, along with a team during a courtesy call on Friday.

According to a press statement from the GPF, the visit was part of a continuing engagement with the GPF, which began some two years ago, and that since then, several officers, including Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, had been warmly received while in the USA.