Pakistani American NYPD Officer Adeed Fayaz Remembered for ‘Legendary Enthusiasm and Generosity’
- The 26-year-old father of two, died two days after he was shot during an off-duty robbery.
Friends, family and colleagues paid respects and bade farewell to Pakistani American NYPD officer Adeed Fayaz, who died this week after he was shot during an off-duty robbery. The 26-year-old father of two had gone with his brother-in-law on Feb. 6 to purchase an SUV listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $24,000.
The seller, Randy Jones, allegedly pointed a handgun at Fayaz while demanding money, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said during a Jan. 7 press conference. He then fired the handgun, shooting Fayaz in the head. The brother-in-law took a gun from Fayaz’s hip and fired at least six times, Essig added. Fayaz Fayaz died two days later, on Feb. 7.
Jones drove from the scene but he was later found with the help of dashboard camera video from the brother-in-law’s vehicle, Essing said. The 38-year-old was arraigned on Feb. 8, and did not enter a plea, according to the District Attorney’s office, and was remanded to police custody. He faces two counts of second-degree murder – “one with a stipulation for being committed during a robbery, one count of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted robbery and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon,” the DA’s office said.
At Fayaz’s funeral at the Al Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services in Brooklyn, officers lined the streets to say their final goodbyes to the five-year NYPD veteran. A motorcade along Coney Island Avenue was held as loved ones and NYPD officers said their final goodbyes to him, as reported by News 12.
He was honored by Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and members from the 66th Precinct where he had been assigned. “This was a reprehensible taking of a police officer, the violent robbery of a father from his family,” said Sewell. “This city needs good fathers. His sons needed theirs.”
Born in Pakistan, Fayaz Fayaz came to the U.S. when he was five years old and decided to become a police officer during middle school, Sewell said. He wanted one day to lead his own unit, to continue to serve and “to shape the next generation of protectors,” the commissioner added. “His colleagues would tell you that his enthusiasm was legendary, his generosity was limitless,” he said. “That he would give you the shirt off his back or lend you the extra pants he always kept in his locker. They will tell you he learned and studied with passion, and he was well on his way to make sergeant.”
