Who Is Sayed Mohassib? Ex-NYPD officer, NYC school aide charged in Brooklyn deadly stabbing

NEW YORK - A 27-year-old former NYPD officer and New York City public school aide is charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of a runner in Brooklyn. 

NYC teacher's aide charged with murder

The backstory:

Sayed Mohassib pleaded not guilty over the weekend in Kings County Criminal Court to second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and criminal possession of a weapon in the death of 28-year-old Katie Suarez.

According to a criminal complaint, Suarez was out running along the Shore Parkway Greenway in Bath Beach on Oct. 30 when she was attacked. When she failed to meet up with her parents, her father searched the path and found her with multiple stab wounds to the neck. Suarez was hospitalized in critical condition and died three days later.

Surveillance footage captured Mohassib walking toward the waterfront running trail prior to the assault and running away shortly afterward, prosecutors said. Additional cameras recorded him entering his residence, appearing roughly 15 minutes later dressed only in underwear, and discarding items down a garbage chute.

Investigators said Mohassib admitted during questioning that he went to the path armed with a knife out of fear that people were coming to kill his family. While he denied stabbing Suarez, he allegedly told detectives he sat on a bench near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge covered in blood before running home to dispose of his bloody clothes and the weapon, according to court documents. Bloodstains were later found in his apartment, detectives saud. 

Suspect enlisted in NYPD, Marines

Dig deeper:

The NYPD confirmed Mohassib served as an officer for just over a month in October 2022 before enlisting in the U.S. Marines. He served less than a month in the military before being discharged on psychological and fitness grounds, officials said. 

When Mohassib sought reinstatement with the NYPD in January 2023, police officials denied his application after supervisors said they observed erratic behavior and took him directly to a hospital for evaluation. Somehow, authorities said, he later landed a job with the New York City Department of Education as a teacher’s aide at P.S. 200 in Brooklyn.

Mamdani orders ‘full review’ 

What they're saying:

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he ordered his team to conduct "a full review" in response to Mohassib's arrest. 

"Nothing is more paramount than the safety of our students," he said. "We are also making counseling and support available to all the students and families at the school." 

A spokesperson for NYC Public Schools confirmed Mohassib has been suspended and that the city is moving to terminate him pending the outcome of the criminal case.

Victim's organs donated

The other side:

Suarez, a bank teller and Brooklyn College graduate, was a registered organ donor whose organs have saved four lives since her death, according to LiveOnNY.

Her heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas and corneas were donated to patients ranging in age from 12 to 75.

"This is an unimaginable loss for any parent and family.  That Katie thought of others in being a registered donor is a powerful testament to her generosity and will ensure that she will live on through these gifts of life," said LiveOnNY President and CEO Leonard Achan. "LiveOnNY is humbled and honored to be the stewards of these precious gifts of life so that Katie’s legacy and others may live on. We extend our deepest condolences to her parents, her brother and extended family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers remain with them during this very difficult time."

What's next:

Mohassib is scheduled to return to court Tuesday.

BrooklynCrime and Public SafetyNew York City