Hundreds of family, friends and fellow cops crowded into a Brooklyn mosque on Thursday to salute Adeed Fayaz, the police officer killed during a botched robbery — a victim of the violent crime he had sworn an oath to help prevent.
Fayaz was off duty, and doing what any loving family man might be doing during his down time — buying an SUV to haul around his wife and young kids.
That precious cargo was on hand at the Makki Masjid Muslim Community Center on Coney Island Ave. in Midwood, where teary-eyed cops and still-shocked relatives said their last goodbyes to a dedicated officer who loved his job and community.
The service’s saddest moments, ironically, were the ones marked by the laughter of children. At times, Fayaz’ 3- and 4-year-old sons played and ran around the room where the funeral was held.
“Adeed was always happiest when talking about his children,” said Fayaz’s commanding officer, Jason Hagestad. “Adeed always had a positive attitude. He was always smiling. He was always confident. He was the go-to guy for any questions on patrol.”
Fayaz, a five-year NYPD veteran, was also the go-to guy among his proud relatives, who watched him fulfill his dream of joining the NYPD.
He became a member of the department in 2017 and was assigned to Brooklyn’s 66th Precinct.
“Adeed was a star of our family,” said Fayaz’s uncle Adnan Pasha, who is also a police officer. “He always admired the police uniform since he had seen his two uncles wearing them every day,”
Another cop — Fayaz’s uncle, Mehran Fayaz — said he and his nephew were studying for the sergeants’ exam together.
“People used to tease me: ‘You’re not studying hard enough. Your nephew’s going to be a sergeant one day,’” the uncle said. “He wanted to be in the Police Department so bad, he took tests so early. That’s how much he loved this city.”
Fayaz, 26, was shot in the head Saturday evening by a robber who lured him and his brother-in-law to East New York with an ad for a car on Facebook Marketplace.
Fayaz, carrying more than $20,000 in cash, was ready to close the deal, but the sale was a ruse. Within moments, the scammer had Fayaz in a headlock and was waving a gun.
The cop momentarily escaped the crook’s grip, but the gunman squeezed off several shots, including one that struck Fayaz in the head. His brother-in-law grabbed the cop’s gun and fired at the fleeing gunman, but missed.
Fayaz died three days later.
A suspect, Randy “Popper” Jones, was arrested Monday, and was taken into custody wearing Fayaz’ handcuffs. Jones is awaiting trial at Rikers Island.