Off-duty New York City police officer shot in robbery dies

EAST NEW YORK — An off-duty New York City police officer who was shot in the head during a botched robbery died Tuesday, the police commissioner said as officials also announced a murder charge against a suspect.

Officer Adeed Fayaz, 26, was shot Saturday in Brooklyn, where he and his brother-in-law went to buy a car posted on Facebook Marketplace from a man later identified as the alleged shooter, authorities said.

“Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great city,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a social media post Tuesday evening. “Our Department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers.”

Fayaz’s family and dozens of police officers gathered outside a Brooklyn hospital Tuesday evening as his body was loaded into an ambulance and driven away in a procession.

Police officials said earlier Tuesday that Randy Jones, 38, was arrested at a suburban motel Monday in connection with the shooting. Tuesday night, authorities announced Jones was charged with murder and attempted robbery. It was unclear if Jones has a lawyer who could respond to the allegations.

Fayaz, married with two young children, agreed to meet Jones on Saturday to buy a car for $24,000, Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a news conference. When Fayaz and his brother-in-law arrived, Jones asked “jokingly” if the men were armed, Essig said. Jones then put Fayaz in a headlock and demanded the money, the chief said.

Fayaz said he didn’t have the money, Essig said, and Jones pointed a gun at Fayaz’s brother-in-law. Fayaz broke free from the…