Teacher’s Aide and Former NYPD Officer Charged in Brooklyn Jogger Killing

Sayed Mohassib, 27, a New York City public-school teacher’s aide and former NYPD officer, has been charged with second-degree murder, evidence tampering and weapon possession in the Oct. 30 stabbing of 28-year-old Katie Suarez, who was attacked while jogging on Brooklyn’s Shore Parkway Greenway and died days later. Court filings say surveillance footage tracked Mohassib to and from the scene; investigators allege he said he carried a knife because he feared for his family, then disposed of bloody clothing and the weapon, which authorities later recovered at a landfill. He was ordered held without bail. The case has prompted scrutiny of the Education Department’s hiring process amid reports that Mohassib had been rejected by the Marines and not rehired by the NYPD after mental-health concerns; the DOE suspended him and said it would seek to terminate his employment. Suarez’s family donated her organs, saving five lives.