A New York City Department of Education employee has been charged in the fatal stabbing of Katie Suarez, a 28-year-old woman attacked while jogging on Brooklyn’s Shore Parkway greenway on Oct. 30. The NYPD said it arrested Sayed Mohassib, 27, on Nov. 7.
Mohassib, who lives in Bath Beach, faces charges of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon, according to CBS News. The charges are allegations; no finding of guilt is reported.
Suarez’s father found her injured along the path. She was taken to a hospital with a stab wound to her neck and later died. Police have not publicly detailed what led them to identify Mohassib as a suspect or established a motive. There is also no evidence reported that the two knew each other, although police sources said they attended Brooklyn College at the same time.
School department suspends employee
The Department of Education said Mohassib worked as a teacher’s aide at Public School 200 in Brooklyn. The agency said it had suspended him and would move to end his employment pending the outcome of the case, adding that it would support the NYPD investigation.
City Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember-elect Chris McCreight called for an investigation into how Mohassib was hired and remained employed at a public school. Their statement also described him as a former NYPD officer and former Marine, but those details were not independently established in the information available for this report.
The killing prompted an intensive search for a suspect and concern among people who use the greenway. Suarez’s mother, Yasira Suarez, had earlier urged the person responsible to turn themselves in.