NEW YORK, Feb 10 (APP):The slain Pakistani-American officer of the New York Police Department (NYPD), Adeel Fayaz, was laid to rest Thursday afternoon after an elaborate memorial ceremony and funeral attended by hundreds, including top city officials, friends, family and fellow officers.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old Fayaz, a father of two young children, was off-duty when he was shot and killed last week during an attempted robbery.<\/p>\n
His Namaz-i-Janaza held at Makki Masjid in Brooklyn \u2014 a borough of New York City \u2014 drew a large number of mourners, many in tears.<\/p>\n
Pakistan was represented by Consul General Ayesha Ali, who paid tributes to the fallen officer for his dedication to duty.<\/p>\n
Pakistani community members were present in full force, including representatives of the prominent political group \u2014 the American-Pakistan Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) \u2014 Dr Ijaz Ahmad, Asad Chaudhry, Tanveer Chaudhry, Asif Riaz, Naheed Bhatti, Badar Bhatti, Iftikhar Ahmad, and Rizwan Yazdan.<\/p>\n
Although officer Fayaz was off-duty, he was granted the solemn ritual of a line-of-duty funeral.<\/p>\n
A motorcycle escort cleared the way for the police ambulance. Highways were closed as the procession made its way to the Makki Masjid, where the service took place.<\/p>\n
As his casket was brought out of the ambulance, hundreds of police officers stood at attention and saluted on Brooklyn\u2019s Coney Island Avenue which passes through an area called \u201cLittle Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer\u2019s wife cradled an American flag as his mother cried uncontrollable tears.<\/p>\n
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell spoke at the funeral service for his heartbroken colleagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot allow anger or grief to eternally paralyze us, darken our hearts, test our resolve or break our will to hold those to account for malice in this city,\u201d Sewell said.<\/p>\n
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also spoke at the funeral service. \u201cI know this community, I know how much you believe in public safety, how much you believe in family, how much you believe in faith,\u201d Mayor Eric Adams told those at he funeral.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the moment when we must lean on that faith and ensure that our brother did not lose his life in vain.\u201d<\/p>\n
His relatives were so distraught they could barely speak. His father urged an end to gun violence in America and his aunt made a personal plea to Mayor Adams.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy request to you is to make this city as easy to live as it was a few years back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The funeral drew police officers from the Tri-State area and from around the world. Officer Fayaz was remembered as compassionate and dedicated. His ambition was to command the department\u2019s aviation unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole Pakistani community is devastated right now,\u201d said NYPD Auxiliary officer Baqir Ahmad. \u201cWe lost a true hero. Officer Fayaz was a true hero. He lost his life at a young age and the whole Pakistani community is mourning his loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fayaz\u2019s accused killer, 38-year-old Randy Jones, was in court on Wednesday. He is now held without bail and charged with murder.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors say Jones listed a Honda Odyssey minivan for sale on Facebook Marketplace in a setup to rob Fayaz of $24,000 in cash.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the type of car that lures hard-working people like Officer Fayaz and his brother-in-law,\u201d Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini said at Jones\u2019 arraignment.<\/p>\n
Jones met Fayaz and his brother-in-law in Brooklyn last week. Jones attempted to rob the off-duty officer before shooting him in the head.<\/p>\n
The suspect was later arrested from a hotel room.<\/p>\n
Also, the New York Islanders, an ice hockey team, paid tribute to Officer Fayaz before Thursday night\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
His picture flashed on the screen above the arena and a moment of silence was held for him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK, Feb 10 (APP):The slain Pakistani-American officer of the New York Police Department (NYPD), Adeel Fayaz, was laid to rest Thursday afternoon after an elaborate memorial ceremony and funeral attended by hundreds, including top city officials, friends, family and fellow officers. The 26-year-old Fayaz, a father of two young children, was off-duty when he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":312900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-312890","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n