WASHINGTON: Hund­reds of friends, family, and fellow officers gathered at New York’s Makki Masjid Muslim Communi­­ty Cen­tre on Thursday for Pakistani-American Off­i­cer Adeed Fayaz’s funeral.

Adeed, 26, a married father of two young children, was shot and killed last week during an atte­mpted robbery in Broo­klyn, New York.

He had gone there with his brother-in-law to buy a car on cash. The alleged robber, Randy Jones, 38, tried to snatch the cash and shot Fayaz in the head as he resisted.

Although Fayaz was off duty when attacked, the New York Police Depart­ment (NYPD) memorialised him as they would an officer who was killed while on the job.

A motorcycle escort cleared the way for the police ambulance.

Highways were shut down as the procession made its way to the place where the service took place. They carried his casket into the cold, as thousands of police officers from the tri-state area stood at attention and saluted the casket. Heli­copters flew over the neighbourhood. The Coney Island Avenue, which is known as ‘Mini Pakistan’, was closed for traffic, as were the adjacent streets. Officer Fayaz was buried at the Pinelawn Memorial Park cemetery.

His father, Sadaqat Fayaz, thanked the NYPD for honoring his son and urged the government to “considering banning guns”, arguing that doing so “can save lives”. Allama Maqsood Ahmed Qadri, an Imam from New Jersey, led the funeral prayers. Imam Tahir Kukaj, the Muslim police chaplain for New York, also prayed for the departed soul.

The funeral also drew hundreds of Pakistani Americans — many in tears — to the mosque in Brooklyn. The officer’s wife cradled an American flag as his mother broke down with grief.

The suspected killer was in court on Wednesday where he was ordered to be held without bail and charged with murder.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2023