The off-duty NYPD cop and a married father of two, who was shot in the head during a botched robbery attempt in Brooklyn over the weekend, was pronounced dead on Tuesday, authorities said. Adeed Fayaz, 26, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, three days after he suffered serious head injuries after being shot during the botched robbery.
Fayaz, a five-year NYPD veteran, had been put on life support at Brookdale Hospital ever since the brutal attack on Saturday night in East New York. The suspect, Randy Jones, 38 was found hiding at a hotel in upstate New York on Monday and was later apprehended using Fayaz's handcuffs.
Unfortunate Death
According to reports, Fayaz was pronounced dead at 3:25 pm on Tuesday. Keechant Sewell, the commissioner of the NYPD, as well as other members of the department's leadership and rank-and-file, spent the entire day at the hospital, comforting grieving family members, some of whom had flown in from Pakistan.
Later, flags may be seen at half-staff at the Borough Park stationhouse of his 66th Precinct.
"What can you say about a police officer, it's someone who dedicated their life to serve and protect," said retired cop Ahmed Nasser, who knew Fayaz from the NYPD Muslim Officer's Society.
"To me, it's a family," Nasser said. "It doesn't matter if I know them. A cop is a family."
Officer Fayaz's body was led into the back of an ambulance as hundreds of police officers, including senior NYPD officers, lined the streets outside Brookdale Hospital while it was being taken to the city Medical Examiner's Office.
As his body was being taken away, Fayaz's two young sons were being cradled by his distraught relatives.
A fellow police officer and Fayaz's friend who was present outside the hospital referred to the dead cop as "my own nephew".
"He was a decent and humble guy. He's a decent kid. He was doing auxiliary before he joined the police force in 2017. He was an upright guy," he told The Post.
"It's an immense loss to the family and to the department," he said, adding Fayaz's brother and uncle are in the police department.
Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, stated that Fayaz's family was present at his bedside when he was taken off life support.
"It's a difficult day. You see police officers standing shoulder to shoulder with tears in their eyes," said Lynch.
"This was a police officer who loved his job. Since he was a young person, he wanted to become not just a police officer, but a New York City police officer. He was viciously gunned down in the streets of Brooklyn."
Killed in No Time
Fayaz and his brother-in-law were lured by an armed would-be robber after they responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad for a Honda Pilot. Once Fayaz reached the place, he was shot once in the head. According to police sources, the two had $24,000 in cash on them at the time.
According to police sources, the shooter, Randy "Popper" Jones, 38, of Harlem, was arrested using Fayaz' handcuffs on Monday after being found hiding out in a hotel in upstate New York. He was charged with murder and attempted robbery in the attack.
Jones is accused of luring Fayaz and a family member down a dim Ruby Street alley, brandishing a gun, demanding money, and then opening fire "almost immediately."
Jones, a career criminal with at least 22 arrests, was previously accused of trying to kill someone. Those accusations are likely to be elevated to murder in light of Fayaz's death.
Jones allegedly set up a meeting with Fayaz to sell a Honda Pilot in East New York. He then allegedly drew a revolver on Fayaz and his brother-in-law as they arrived with $24,000 in cash to purchase the automobile.
Jones pulled the trigger almost immediately after that, and fired once, hitting Fayaz in the head. The victim's brother-in-law tried to retaliate by grabbing Fayaz's gun and firing, but Jones was able to flee in a black BMW.
After a city-wide manhunt, the car was located abandoned in Harlem, near where the suspect lived with his girlfriend, according to The New York Post.
The BMW, according to sources, belonged to the suspect's mother, who resided close to the scene of the incident in East New York.
Jones is suspected of being behind a similar heist that took place on January 13 not far from the shooting location. According to The Post, he had previously been arrested for strangling, grand theft, and harassment.
