Loved ones, mourners gather for funeral of NYPD Officer Fayaz
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN (WABC) -- Friends, family, and fellow officers gathered at the Makki Masjid Muslim Community Center Thursday for fallen Officer Adeed Fayaz's funeral.
Fayaz, 26, was off-duty when he was shot and killed last week during an attempted robbery. The NYPD memorialized him as they would an officer who was killed while on the job.
The funeral drew hundreds of mourners - many in tears - to the mosque in Brooklyn. The married father of two young children was gunned down while off-duty just five days ago.
Although he was off-duty, Officer Fayaz was granted the solemn ritual of a line-of-duty funeral.
A motorcycle escort cleared the way for the police ambulance. Highways were shut down as the procession made its way to Midwood, where the service took place.
They carried his casket into the cold as thousands of police officers stood at attention and saluted on Coney Island Avenue. Their grief, at times unbearable.
The officer's wife cradled an American flag as the officer's mother cried uncontrollable tears.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell spoke for his heartbroken colleagues.
"We cannot allow anger or grief to eternally paralyze us, darken our hearts, test our resolve or break our will to hold those to account for malice in this city," Sewell said.
Mayor Eric Adams also spoke at the funeral service.
"I know this community, I know how much you believe in public safety, how much you believe in family, how much you believe in faith," Mayor Eric Adams told those at he funeral. "This is the moment when we must lean on that faith and ensure that our brother did not lose his life in vain."
His relatives were so distraught they could barely speak. His father urged an end to gun violence in America and his aunt made a personal plea to Adams.
"My request to you is to make this city as easy to live as it was a few years back," she said.
The funeral drew police officers from the Tri-State area-and from around the world. Officer Fayaz was remembered as compassionate and dedicated. His ambition was to command the department's aviation unit.
"The whole Pakistani community is devastated right now," said NYPD Auxiliary officer Baqir Ahma. "We lost a true hero. Officer Fayaz was a true hero. He lost his life at a young age and the whole Pakistani community is mourning his loss."
Fayaz's accused killer, 38-year-old Randy Jones, was in court on Wednesday. He is now held without bail and charged with murder.
Prosecutors say Jones listed a Honda Odyssey minivan for sale on Facebook Marketplace in a set up to rob Fayaz of $24,000 in cash.
"It is the type of car that lures hard-working people like Officer Fayaz and his brother-in-law," Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini said at Jones' arraignment.
Jones met Fayaz and his brother-in-law in East New York last week. Jones attempted to rob the off-duty officer before shooting him in the head.
The suspect was later found in a Rockland County hotel room. In court, a prosecutor revealed the BMW he was allegedly driving at the time of the shooting was found with a bullet hole apparently taped over in an attempt to hide the damage.
In a statement, Jones' attorney at the Legal Aid Society said despite the charges, he is presumed innocent.
In calling for him to be held without bail, Rosini said the charges are so severe, he is an extreme risk of flight. Prosecutors believe if he's not remanded, he would never return to court.
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