NYPD officer shot in robbery dies

An off-duty New York City police officer who was shot in the head during a botched robbery died Tuesday, the police commissioner said as officials also announced a murder charge against a suspect.

Officer Adeed Fayaz, 26, was shot Saturday in Brooklyn, where he and his brother-in-law went to buy a car posted on Facebook Marketplace from a man later identified as the alleged shooter, authorities said.

"Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great city," NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a social media post Tuesday evening. "Our Department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers."

Fayaz's family, Sewell and dozens of police officers, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey and Police Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch among them, gathered outside Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn Tuesday evening as his body, draped in an NYPD flag, was loaded into an ambulance and driven away in a procession.

“Tonight, we rendered a final salute to our @NYPD66Pct brother P.O. Adeed Fayaz — but we still need your prayers. Pray for his family. Pray for his fellow police officers. And pray that we see justice done in his name,” the Police Benevolent Association said in a tweet.

Police officials said earlier Tuesday that Randy Jones, 38, was arrested at a suburban motel Monday in connection with the shooting. Tuesday night, authorities announced Jones was charged with murder and attempted robbery. It was unclear if Jones has a lawyer.

Fayaz, married with two young children, agreed to meet Jones on Saturday to buy a Honda for $24,000, Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a news conference earlier in the day. When Fayaz and his brother-in-law arrived on Ruby Street in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood, Jones asked "jokingly" if the men were armed, Essig said. Jones then put Fayaz in a headlock 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 fled, Essig said. The brother-in-law grabbed Fayaz's gun from his hip and fired “at least six times” as well, he said. The brother-in-law was not injured.

Jones drove off in a black 2011 BMW that was registered to his mother, who lives nearby. Through video, computer work and other work, detectives were then able to trace Jones as the suspected perpetrator and his possible location, Essig said. 

The Regional Fugitive Task Force tracked Jones to a Days Inn in Nanuet, about 35 miles north of the city, was arrested Monday. A woman and five children ages 6 months to 11 years were with him at the motel, Essig said. Police detained Jones using Fayaz's handcuffs, Essig said.

“We wanted him to know what he did,” Essig said of the cuffs. “And I think it sends a powerful message.”