Authorities have taken a 27-year-old Brooklyn man into custody in connection with the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old Katie Suarez. The victim was attacked while jogging along the Shore Parkway greenway on the evening of October 30. 16-year-old stabbed outside L.I. school, 15-year-old in custody.
Suarez was discovered injured along the path by her father. She was transported to a medical facility suffering from a severe neck wound but succumbed to her injuries.
The NYPD announced on Saturday that Sayed Mohassib of Brooklyn had been apprehended. He currently faces charges of second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence. When police escorted him from the 62nd Precinct on Saturday, the suspect remained silent. Mohassib, wearing flip flops and a red jacket, did not answer any questions when police walked him out of the 62nd Precinct Saturday afternoon. It also wasn’t immediately clear what led police to Mohassib. Police say, queens woman stabbed to death in Flushing storefront.
Investigations into the specific circumstances of the encounter and the evidence leading to Mohassib’s arrest are ongoing. While details remain limited, officials confirmed the suspect is an employee of the New York City Department of Education. The safety of our students is our very top priority.
According to police sources, the suspect served as a teacher’s aide at PS 200 in Brooklyn. His professional history also includes a stint with the NYPD, where he was involved in field training within the Bronx between October and November 2022.
In a formal statement, the Department of Education announced it has suspended the employee and intends to move toward termination depending on the outcome of the legal proceedings. The department emphasized that it is fully cooperating with the NYPD investigation.
The suspect’s background has prompted significant concern from local leaders. City Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso, State Senator Andrew Gounardes, and Assemblymember-elect Chris McCreight issued a joint statement identifying Mohassib as an individual with no prior criminal record who was allegedly discharged from the military for psychiatric reasons. They expressed alarm regarding his employment as a teacher’s aide and demanded a thorough review of hiring practices within local public schools. At the time of the attack, he was a DOE employee, serving as a teacher’s aide in a public school,” they said. “This last revelation raises serious questions about how he came to be employed in a local public school and warrants a full investigation into the circumstances of his hiring and continued employment, troublingly though.
The tragic event sparked widespread outrage across New York City and prompted an intensive search for the perpetrator. Earlier in the week, the victim’s mother, Yasira Suarez, had made an emotional public appeal, urging the person responsible to surrender to authorities while mourning her daughter as an angel.
