Police fill courtroom as suspect arraigned in deadly shooting of off-duty NYPD officer
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN (WABC) -- The suspect in the murder of off-duty NYPD Officer Adeed Fayaz was arraigned in Brooklyn on Wednesday morning.
Randy Jones was arrested Tuesday in Rockland County and put into handcuffs that belonged to Fayaz.
He was held without bail during the brief arraignment in a Downtown Brooklyn courtroom that was packed with police officers.
Jones was charged with murder, attempted robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.
Fayaz, 26, was killed in a setup, the purported sale of a Honda Odyssey minivan, prosecutors said in court Wednesday.
"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 the arraignment.
Neither the officer nor his brother-in-law had the money in their pockets at the time of the botched robbery. Officials said they left the cash in their car.
"But he didn't wait, he just shot," Rosini said of Jones.
When the suspect fled, he turned off his phone, ditched a BMW and hid out with his girlfriend and her five children. Two of them are his.
The suspect's BMW was struck by the gunfire, but officials said he covered it up with tape in an attempt to hide the damage.
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.
The courtroom Wednesday morning was packed with more than 100 police as they listened in absolute silence.
After the hearing, a motorcycle escort cleared the way for the police ambulance that would return Officer Fayaz to Brooklyn. Highways were shut down as the motorcade made its way across the city to the mosque on Coney Island Avenue in Midwood where a service is planned for Thursday.
Faya leaves behind a wife and two young children.
"If you're fortunate enough to have children, imagine their father never coming home again," said Pat Lynch, President of the New York City Police Benevolent Association. "They'll never be OK from this."
Jones is no stranger to law enforcement.. He has nearly two dozen prior arrests, including one for robbery also involving a Facebook Marketplace scam.
His attorney released the following statement:
"While we recognize that this is a painful and difficult time for New York City Police Department Officer Adeed Fayaz's family, friends and community, Randy Jones is entitled to the presumption of innocence, a fundamental principle required by the United States Constitution. We encourage the public to withhold judgment and to allow this case to proceed through the criminal legal system. Defense counsel is still awaiting initial discovery from the District Attorney's office, and we have not yet received any evidence linking Mr. Jones to the offense. We will have more to say about this case in the coming days, weeks and months after a thorough review and investigation."
He is due back in court on Friday.
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