Aland Etienne, a security guard killed in the mass shooting at a New York City office building last month, was laid to rest Saturday after a funeral.
Mourners poured into the Guarino Funeral Home in Canarsie, Brooklyn, to mourn Etienne, one of four people shot and killed by the gunman who stormed 345 Park Ave. in Manhattan.
Etienne, 46, lived in Brooklyn after emigrating from Haiti. He worked security for 345 Park Ave. for over six years and was a familiar face to employees.
Unarmed, he was shot while ducking behind a security desk in an attempt to lock down the building’s elevators during the mass shooting on July 28, police said.
The other victims were NYPD Det. Didarul Islam, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner and Julia Hyman of Rudin Management, whose funerals were already held.
People at Etienne’s funeral remembered him as a devoted family man and an esteemed colleague. His SEIU Local 32BJ union colleagues said his loss sheds light on the dangers that security personnel face daily.
“This is what they do every day. They know that they put themselves on the line, and this is the kind of tragedy we never want to have happen,” a union member said.
City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also came to pay their respects.
Those who knew Etienne best said he will be remembered as a pillar of strength for his family.
“He was someone, you know, good heart … Top of the family, the way he cared,” Berthy Francilus, a longtime friend, said.
Etienne leaves behind a wife, four children and a grandson, who served as a pallbearer. An online fundraiser to support them has ballooned to nearly $200,000.
contributed to this report.
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