The 86-year-old man who allegedly was shot and killed by a scooter-riding gunman in New York City over the weekend was heading to a mosque to pray at the time of the fatal attack, a report says.
Hamoo Saeidi has been identified in media reports as the person who died Saturday following the shooting spree in the Brooklyn and Queens boroughs that also left three others injured. Thomas Abreau, 25, is now facing several charges related to murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and attempted murder.
“My heart is broken, my family is all devastated,” Ahmed Alsaedi, whom the New York Post identified as Saeidi’s son, said in an interview. “We can’t believe something like that would happen to an 86-year-old man. It’s terrible.”
“The system right now, it needs to be reevaluated because crime in New York City is just unbelievable,” he also said.
NYC SCOOTER SHOOTING SUSPECT CHARGED WITH MURDER, ACCUSED OF RANDOMLY FIRING AT PEDESTRIANS
Thomas Abreau is facing several charges related to murder, criminal possession of a weapon and attempted murder in connection with a shooting spree on Saturday in New York City. (FOX 5 New York)
The newspaper cited Alsaedi as saying that his father would run several miles each morning before heading to his mosque to pray – and that’s what he was doing when he was hit with gunfire.
Alsaedi said Saeidi, an immigrant from Yemen, first came to the U.S. in 1962 before bringing the rest of his family over, according to the New York Post.
The father of six owned grocery stores and became involved in real estate before his retirement, the newspaper added, citing Alsaedi.
“He’s a cheerful guy,” Alsaedi told the New York Post. “He liked to joke a lot. He has a lot of friends.”
Saeidi is now set to be buried in New Jersey following a funeral in Brooklyn later Monday afternoon.
NYC SUSPECT ON SCOOTER KILLS 86-YEAR-OLD MAN, INJURES 3 OTHERS, POLICE SAY
New York City shooting suspect Thomas Abreau flashed a smile as he was taken into a vehicle while in handcuffs. (FOX 5 New York)
“He was a great person. He would give to the poor, always give to the poor,” Yahya Alsaidi, identified by the New York Post as one of his relatives, said to the newspaper.
Police believe Abreau drove an illegal scooter while firing randomly at people walking in the street on Saturday.
Chaos began when a 21-year-old man was shot in the shoulder in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, around 11:10 a.m. Saturday. About 20 minutes later, Saeidi was fatally shot in the back near 108th Street on Jamaica Avenue. He was transported to Jamaica Hospital but died from his injuries.
Shortly after, a 44-year-old man was shot in the cheek near 126th Street and a 63-year-old man was shot in the shoulder on 134th Street. All the victims were transported to local hospitals, and three are recovering from their wounds.
A scooter-riding gunman reportedly shot four victims in the Queens and Brooklyn boroughs of New York City. (Peter Gerber)
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Police also say Abreau opened fire at another location, but no one was injured. Abreau was apprehended around 1:10 p.m. after police distributed images of him to every patroller on the street.
“We don’t know the motive… If you look at the demographics and pedigree of the victims, they’re all different,” Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny said at a press conference on Saturday. “At this time, video shows that he’s not targeting anybody. He’s not following anybody as he’s driving on his scooter, he’s randomly shooting people.”
Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.
