Police Commissioner Bill Bratton (left) and Mayor Bill de Blasio (right) unveil the newest names added to the Heroes Wall.Gregory P. MangoThe names of fallen police officers who died in 2015 were added to a memorial wall at NYPD headquarters Thursday during a somber ceremony in lower Manhattan.
“Today we are here to celebrate the lives, the careers, and the sacrifices of 19 people whose names we are adding to the Wall of Heroes,” said Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. “To the families, thank you for sharing these remarkable men and women with us, and for your courage through extended illnesses and loss. We will continue to fulfill our commitment to you—you will always be part of our family.”
The names added to a wall at One Police Plaza in front of a few hundred people included two officers killed in the line of duty in the city, 16 felled by 9/11 related illnesses and one killed while serving in Afghanistan — increasing the total number of names in the NYPD Hall of Heroes to 881.
“Today we honor 19 extraordinary individuals,” Mayor de Blasio said at the ceremony, where he praised the NYPD.
Christine Moore, whose brother Brian Moore died two days after he was shot in the face by a lifelong criminal last May, wept during the memorial.
“It was a beautiful ceremony,” she said. “It’s nice to see people still honor him for what he did.”
Her mother, Irene Moore, talked about the weight of the ceremony.
“Something’s are a little bit lighter other things are heavier,” she said. “This is definitely very heavy but we appreciated it.”
Randolph Holder Sr., a retired member of the Guyana police force, bowed his head as the names of his son and the other officers were read aloud.
“It brings back the memory of a good individual, Randolph, a good person,” Holder said. “He always wanted to be a police officer in New York and he did. Unfortunately, I think he died doing what he likes. And it’s important for people to comment on the good work he left behind.”
His son was killed Oct. 20 while answering a call of shots fired in East Harlem. Witnesses reported that several men had fled along the footpath heading north along the FDR Drive. Holder was shot during an exchange of gunfire with a suspect.
His dad also commented on the overwhelming support he had received from the NYPD community.
“It’s the main part of our life now,” he said. “They’re a wonderful group of individuals. They are behind us 100 percent.”
A member of the 50 Precinct’s Bronx Warrant Squad, Detective Joseph Lemm’s name was also added to the wall. The 45-year-old was killed Dec. 21, 2015, in a suicide bombing while serving with the Air National Guard overseas in Afghanistan.

