The New York Police Department (NYPD) and the local Muslim community are mourning the loss of a police officer who succumbed to injuries sustained during a recent shooting in Brooklyn.
NYPD Officer Adeed Fayaz, 26, was shot while off duty during an attempted robbery on Saturday as he tried to buy a car from the suspected shooter, 38-year-old Randy Jones.
Fayaz, a five-year veteran of the NYPD, died three days after the incident, leaving behind a wife and two children.
On Tuesday night, hundreds of first responders gathered outside Brookdale Hospital during the dignified transfer of Fayaz’s body draped in the police flag into an ambulance.
The fallen officer of Pakistani origin was remembered by members of the Islamic Center in Deer Park during its call to prayer on Tuesday. The mosque has been holding special prayers for Fayaz since he was shot and has offered support to his family.
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Imam Abdul Razzaq Aziz described Fayaz as a “very good guy” who was “very humble, very nice.”
According to the NYPD, Fayaz brought his brother-in-law to meet with Jones to buy a Honda Pilot for $24,000 in cash on Ruby Street in East New York.
The purchase attempt turned deadly after the suspect allegedly placed Fayaz in a headlock and pointed a gun at the pair to demand money. When Fayaz refused and tried to escape the headlock, Jones opened fire on the two men.
NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig provided more details about the incident during a news conference on Tuesday.
Our officer states he doesn’t have the money, at which time the perpetrator points the firearm at the brother-in-law. Police Officer Fayaz is able to break free at which time the male fired, striking him in the head. The officer’s brother-in-law removes the firearm from our officer’s hip and returns fire at least six times. Our perpetrator jumps into the driver’s seat of a black auto and speeds off.
Jones, who was described as a “career criminal,” has been charged with murder and attempted robbery and is being held by the NYPD. He has been arrested over a dozen times in the past, including once for strangulation in New York City and two other arrests in Virginia.
