Former NYPD Rookie Faces Murder Charge in Brooklyn Jogger’s Death

A Brooklyn public school employee who briefly served as an NYPD officer has been charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of a woman jogging on a path near the Belt Parkway.

Police arrested Sayed Mohassib, 27, of Brooklyn, on Saturday in the death of Katie Suarez, 28. He faces charges of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon. Mohassib did not answer questions as officers escorted him out of a police precinct Saturday afternoon, CBS News reported.

Suarez was attacked on the evening of Oct. 30 while jogging along the Shore Parkway greenway, also described as the Belt Parkway bike path. She was supposed to meet her parents after her run. When she did not arrive, her father went looking for her and found her injured. She died in a hospital several days later. NBC News reported that she had been stabbed at least twice in the neck.

Police believe the attack was random, NBC News reported. The network said Mohassib told investigators he had been walking on the path with a knife and had blacked out, regaining awareness to find himself covered in blood. Detectives used surveillance footage to help identify him, according to NBC News. Cameras also recorded him dumping bags of garbage near his home on the night of the attack, and investigators were searching a sanitation facility for possible evidence.

Mohassib worked as a paraprofessional at P.S. 200, an elementary school in Brooklyn, and continued reporting to work after the stabbing, NBC News reported. The city Department of Education said it had suspended him and would move to terminate his employment pending the outcome of the case.

“The safety of our students is our very top priority,” the department said. It also said it was supporting the police investigation.

Mohassib spent about a month as an NYPD rookie in field training in the Bronx beginning in October 2022. NBC News reported that he then sought extended leave for a military assignment and formally resigned from the department that December. His NYPD-issued firearm had been removed and was never returned, the network reported.

Citing a law enforcement source, NBC News reported that Mohassib was removed from military service because of mental health issues. The NYPD denied his request for reinstatement in January 2023. The source said Mohassib was taken to a psychiatric ward at Bellevue Hospital after exhibiting unusual behavior when he tried to get his NYPD job back in person; the report did not say when that visit occurred. The source also said officers responded to a report in September 2024 that Mohassib had threatened his mother and sister. He was found nearby and taken to a hospital.

It was not immediately clear whether his psychiatric history was reviewed before the school system hired him. In a joint statement reported by CBS News, three elected officials called for an investigation into his hiring and continued employment. Suarez’s mother, Yasira Suarez, had earlier urged the attacker to surrender, saying, “you took an angel.”