In what was meant to be a simple transaction to purchase a car, 26-year-old off-duty NYPD officer Adeed Fayaz was fatally shot in Brooklyn, New York. On a Saturday evening in early February 2023, Fayaz and his brother-in-law traveled to East New York to buy a Honda Pilot they had seen advertised on Facebook Marketplace, carrying $24,000 for the purchase.
The meeting, however, turned out to be a setup for a robbery.
Upon their arrival, they were met by a man who feigned a friendly question, asking if they were carrying a gun. When they replied that they were not, the man, later identified as 38-year-old Randy Jones, allegedly put Fayaz in a headlock and demanded their money. A struggle ensued, and as Fayaz broke free, he was shot in the head. As Jones fled the scene, Fayaz's brother-in-law managed to grab the officer's own gun and fired back at the fleeing suspect.
A massive manhunt for the shooter began immediately. Investigators were able to track Jones down to a motel in Nanuet, Rockland County, just two days after the shooting. He was found in a room with his girlfriend and five children. In a poignant turn of events, when police arrested Jones, they used Officer Fayaz's own handcuffs.
Randy Jones, who had a prior criminal record, was charged with murder and attempted robbery. In court, prosecutors described the incident as a premeditated trap. It was revealed that Fayaz and his brother-in-law had left the cash in their car, but Jones allegedly 'didn't wait' before opening fire. Jones was also indicted for a similar robbery that occurred a month earlier, where he allegedly lured another victim using a car advertisement on Facebook Marketplace and robbed him of a large sum of money. Jones pleaded not guilty to the charges and was held without bail.
