NYC police officer shot, killed while chasing robbery suspect

NEW YORK, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A New York City police officer died after he was shot in the head while chasing a robbery suspect.

Randolph Holder, 33, was in plain clothes when he and his partner saw a robbery suspect riding a bicycle on a pedestrian overpass. The two, part of the city's unit that patrols the city's housing developments, chased the suspect and exchanged gunfire, police said. Holder was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Holder was with the department for five years.

"Tonight, he did what every other officer in the NYPD does," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said. "When the call comes, he ran toward danger. It was the last time he will respond to that call."

Police said Holder and his partner had initially responded to the housing complex in New York City's East Harlem section to reports of gunshots being fired. When they arrived, they were told the suspect had stolen a bicycle at gunpoint. Holder was shot in the forehead.

The gunman, who had been shot in the leg, was taken into custody shortly after the shooting. He was taken to a local hospital and was expected to be released into police custody Wednesday morning. Additional suspects were taken in for questioning.

Holder was a native of Guyana, where his grandfather and father were law enforcement officers. Holder was the fourth NYPD officer to die in the line of duty this year.

Join us in praying for NYPD Police Officer Randolph Holder and his family. pic.twitter.com/OjdLqFYo7r

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 21, 2015