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Man pleads not guilty in NYPD officer's death
01:58 - Source: NY1

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NEW: Tyrone Howard pleads not guilty in court, the district attorney office's says

Howard, 31, faces an array of charges, including first-degree murder and robbery

District attorney says he hopes prosecution will bring some comfort to fallen officer's family

CNN  — 

A 31-year-old man accused of shooting a New York City police officer in the head during a chase has been indicted on murder charges, Manhattan’s district attorney announced Tuesday.

The indictment lays out a multiple charges against Tyrone Howard, including aggravated murder, first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree robbery.

Howard pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday to the charges, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

“The defendant in this case … is charged with willfully and maliciously murdering one of New York’s finest,” New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement. “This prosecution will not bring back this brave public servant, but we hope, by seeking justice, it will bring a measure of comfort to Detective Holder’s family, his colleagues in the NYPD and the city as a whole.”

Randolph “Randy” Holder, 33, a native of Guyana who had joined the New York City Police Department, was shot in the head while chasing a suspect in an East Harlem housing complex on October 20.

Slain NYPD officer’s wish: ‘All I wanted to do was make a difference’

Holder’s partner, Omar Wallace, fired back and wounded the suspect while chasing him on a footbridge along the East River. The suspect was arrested, and authorities identified him as Howard, who was wanted in connection with a September 1 gang-related shooting and had a warrant out for his arrest.

New York police divers later recovered a .40-caliber pistol and a shell casing in the riverbed. The shell casing matched the pistol found in the river, according to a law enforcement official.

During an emotional eulogy last month, Police Commissioner William Bratton promoted Holder to first-grade detective and issued him shield number 9657, the same number his father wore when he served in Guyana.

Bratton choked up while reading a letter written by Holder, then a new recruit, talking about how he’d emigrated from the South American nation to the United States to live with his father.

“All I wanted to do was make a difference in my community,” Holder wrote, according to the police commissioner.

Fallen officers: Separated by thousands of miles, united by similar dangers

CNN’s Deborah Feyerick contributed to this report.