A Harlem man accused of shooting and killing off-duty NYPD officer Adeed Fayyaz was charged with murder Tuesday, hours after the cop was pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said.
Randy “Popper” Jones, 38, allegedly shot the 26-year-old father of two in the head during a robbery in East New York Saturday night after Fayaz and his brother-in-law arranged to buy a Honda Pilot on Facebook. Bazar, police and sources said. The couple had $24,000 in cash at the time.
Jones led the pair into a dark alley and allegedly opened fire “almost immediately,” hitting Fayaz once in the temple. The officer’s brother-in-law then pulled a gun from Fayaz’s holster and returned fire as Jones fled.
Jones remained on the lam until police tracked him down Monday at a Rockland County hotel — where they handcuffed Fayaz and took him into custody.
Police located and impounded the vehicle — a black BMW SUV registered to Jones’ mother — at 129th Street and Park Avenue in Harlem on Sunday. Detectives were examining the car in the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn on Monday.
On Tuesday, police identified Jones as the alleged shooter and charged him with robbery and murder.
Police believe he may be behind a similar robbery that took place nearby last month. In this case, the crook ambushed another person at a nearby address on January 13, again under the guise of car-peddling through the Facebook marketplace, only to pull out a gun and demand money from the victim, sources said. The robbers escaped with $18,000 in the robbery.
Five-year-old Fayaz, a veteran of New York’s finest, was pronounced dead at Brookdale Hospital at 3:25 pm on Tuesday after being on life support since the shooting, sources said.
Hundreds of cops, including top NYPD brass, lined the streets outside the hospital as Officer Fayaz’s body was taken by ambulance to the city medical examiner’s office.
Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said Fayaz’s family was at his bedside when he was taken off life support.
“It’s a tough day. You see police officers standing shoulder to shoulder with tears in their eyes,” Lynch said.
“This was a police officer who loved his job. Since he was a young man, he wanted to be not just a police officer, but a New York City police officer. He was brutally shot in the streets of Brooklyn.
Read full article here