CNN
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A New York Police Department officer who was shot in the head Saturday while off duty has died, the police commissioner said in a tweet Tuesday night.
Adeed Fayaz, 26, had been in grave condition since the shooting, which happened in Brooklyn as he and his brother-in-law were trying to buy an SUV, officials said at an afternoon news conference.
“Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great city,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell tweeted. “Officer Fayaz was shot Saturday night and he tragically succumbed to his injuries today. Our department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers.”
Randy Jones, a 38-year-old New York City man, was arrested Monday in connection with the shooting, authorities said at the news conference.
Police are recommending charges of murder and attempted robbery, they said Tuesday night. CNN has reached out to the Brooklyn district attorney’s office for information about formal charges.
CNN’s attempts to determine whether Jones had an attorney weren’t immediately successful. The Legal Aid Society, a nonprofit that represents poor New Yorkers, was not representing Jones as of Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for the group said.
Fayaz had been in contact with a man selling a Honda Pilot on Facebook Marketplace for $24,000, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. The officer and his brother-in-law on Saturday met the man, who jokingly asked whether they were carrying a gun, to which both men responded no, Essig said.
“At this time, our perpetrator grabs (Fayaz) in a headlock, points the gun at his head, and demands the money,” Essig said.
When Fayaz said he didn’t have the money, the man pointed the gun at the brother-in-law, according to Essig.
“Officer Fayaz was able to break free, at which time the male fired, striking him in the head,” Essig said. “As (the suspect) flees, he continues to fire towards both the officer and his brother-in-law.”
The brother-in-law took a gun from Fayaz’s hip and fired at least six times, according to Essig. The assailant drove from the scene, Essig said. Dashboard camera video from the brother-in-law’s vehicle helped detectives identify the car the assailant fled in, he added.
The assailant allegedly had led both the officer and his brother-in-law down an alley where the shooting took place, a law enforcement source told CNN. No cameras are in the alley, the source added.
Jones was arrested Monday at a motel in Nanuet, a hamlet north of New York City, Essig said. Charges are pending as authorities execute two search warrants, he said. Sewell said the suspect likely would be arraigned Tuesday night.
A woman who was in the motel room was taken into custody and questioned, but she is not being charged at this time, Essig said.
Authorities handcuffed the man using Fayez’s cuffs, Essig said. “We wanted him to know who, what he did to that officer. … And I think it sends a powerful message,” he said.
Authorities are investigating whether the man is connected to other reported Facebook Marketplace robberies, including one that happened in early January “right down the block,” Essig added.
Fayaz was married with two young children, Sewell said.
