NEW YORK (AP) — An off-duty New York City police officer who was shot in the head in a botched robbery died Tuesday, the police commissioner said as officials announced also a murder charge against a suspect.
Officer Adeed Fayaz, 26, was shot dead in Brooklyn on Saturday, where he and his brother-in-law went to buy a car posted on Facebook Marketplace from a man later identified as the suspected shooter, authorities said.
“Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, husband, son and protector of our great city,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a social media post Tuesday night. “Our department mourns his passing deeply, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers.”
Fayaz’s family and dozens of police gathered outside a Brooklyn hospital on Tuesday night as his body was loaded into an ambulance and taken in a procession.
Police officials said earlier Tuesday that Randy Jones, 38, was arrested Monday at a suburban motel in connection with the shooting. On Tuesday evening, authorities announced that Jones was charged with murder and attempted robbery. It was unclear whether Jones had an attorney who could respond to the allegations.
Fayaz, married with two young children, agreed to meet with Jones on Saturday to buy a car for $24,000, Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a news conference. When Fayaz and his brother-in-law arrived, Jones “jokingly” asked if the men were armed, Essig said. Jones then put Fayaz in a headache and demanded the money, the chief said.
Fayaz said he didn’t have the money, Essig said, and Jones pointed a gun at Fayaz’s brother-in-law. Fayaz broke free from the headlock and Jones shot him in the head, Essig said.
Jones ran, firing more shots as he ran away, Essig said. The brother-in-law grabbed Fayaz’s gun from his hip and also fired several shots, he said. The brother-in-law was not injured.
Jones drove off in a 2011 BMW registered in his mother’s name, Essig said.
Jones was arrested Monday at a Days Inn in Nanuet, about 55 miles north of New York. A woman and five children ranging in age from 6 months to 11 years old were with him at the motel, Essig said. Police arrested Jones using Fayaz’s handcuffs, Essig said.
The Associated Press
