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Officer Randolph Holder Promoted to Detective at Funeral

By  Katie Honan Ben Fractenberg and Nikhita Venugopal | October 28, 2015 2:38pm | Updated on October 28, 2015 5:19pm

 Police Officer Randolph Holder was promoted to detective at his funeral Wednesday at Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, Queens. 
Police And Mourners Gather For Slain NYPD Officer Randolph Holder's Funeral
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JAMAICA — Slain NYPD officer Randolph Holder was posthumously promoted to detective first-grade Wednesday, Commissioner Bill Bratton announced in a tearful eulogy at his rain-soaked funeral Wednesday.

The Guyanese immigrant, who was gunned down chasing a suspect in a gang related shooting on Oct. 20, was given shield number 9657, part of a badge number series that were dedicated last year for fallen officers.

"Randy, you were indeed a role model," Bratton, his voice breaking, said from the podium of the Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Jamaica. "You made a difference. You touched your community, your city and now your country."

Mayor Bill de Blasio hailed Holder as a man of integrity, and a "beacon" for young people and those he protected on the beat.

"Officer Holder loved the people he served, and they loved him back," de Blasio said. "They felt comfortable with him, they trusted him. He showed us how we can work toward a safer world for all."

"This was a peace officer in every sense of the word," de Blasio added.

Thousands of police officers from around the country stood at attention as Housing Bureau officer's body was brought down Merrick Boulevard to the church where his funeral was held. 

Thousands of police officers stand in the pouring rain on Merrick Boulevard before Police Officer Randolph Holder's funeral on Oct. 28, 2015 in Jamaica, Queens. The five-year officer was shot and killed in East Harlem on Oct. 20. (DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg)

"One of Randy's friends said being a cop was Randy's family business," the commissioner told mourners. "Ask any housing cop about the elevators, stairways, about pebble beach. Ask about keep the many safe from the few. Randy had built a mental database between the good guys and the bad, watched the kids teetering between them. He had courage, he had compassion. This job was certainly his calling."

Police officers from all over the world — Australia, New Zealand and Ethiopia — came to Queens to pay their respects, the commissioner said.

An officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department flew in for the fallen officer's funeral to show support.

"I felt compelled with everything going on, all the violence against law enforcement, I just wanted to show support to the family," said Israel Renteria, 36, an officer who patrols East L.A.

His fiancée, Maryiane Muhammad, standing at the pulpit flanked by two women for support, hailed Holder's bravery.

"To simply wear the uniform of an officer is an act of courage — you're both hero and target."

The funeral also drew mourners from the local Guyanese community. Holder moved to New York from Guyana to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer. 

Gwendolyn Phillips, 41, who came to Queens a decade ago from Guyana, called Holder a "hero."

"I had to come and support my fellow Guyanese," she said. "It's real sad, but he makes Guyana proud. He makes America proud." 

A police officer stands in the rain outside Police Officer Randolph Holder's funeral on Oct. 28, 2015 in Jamaica, Queens. (DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg)

On Tuesday, hundreds attended a wake for the slain officer at the Jamaica church. NYPD chiefs remembered him as a "skilled and talented officer." 

The NYPD said Holder will be buried in Guyana.