Former Police Officer Charged in Fatal Stabbing of Woman in New York

Minara Helen: A suspect has been charged in connection with the death of Katie Suarez, the 28-year-old Brooklyn woman who was fatally stabbed in the neck while jogging on Oct. 30. Sayed Mohassib was arrested on Saturday, Nov. 7, and charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon, according to a statement from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) obtained by PEOPLE.

Mohassib, 27, was identified as a suspect after investigators reviewed surveillance video of the area near the attack, according to NBC News.

Footage also allegedly showed Mohassib disposing of trash bags near his residence on the night Suarez was killed, per the outlet. Police sources say Mohassib told authorities that he did not remember attacking Suarez, but that he found himself covered in blood, per NBC News and ABC 7.

It is unclear whether Mohassib has legal representation at this time.

Mohassib was most recently employed as a school aide at an elementary school in Brooklyn, according to NBC News, ABC 7 and the New York Post. A student who attends the school said Mohassib was acting “off” the week of the alleged murder, according to the Post.

“He was acting a little bit, like, I don’t know, weird. A bit off,” the student said, per the outlet.

Two other students claimed they saw Mohassib talking to himself, with one telling the Post that the man seemed “nervous” and “worried.”

A representative for the New York City Department of Education confirmed to PEOPLE that Mohassib is an employee of the department, though the representative did not specify in what capacity.

“The safety of our students is our very top priority,” the representative said in a statement to PEOPLE. “We have suspended this individual and will move to terminate employment pending the outcome of the conviction. We are supporting the NYPD in their investigation however is needed.” The representative also said the department is “providing support and resources to the school community.”

Mohassib previously worked as an employee of the NYPD in 2022, but served for only about a month before requesting a transfer to the military, according to a police source familiar with his background, per NBC News and ABC 7. He was later discharged from military service due to mental health concerns, the source said.

The source added that Mohassib requested to rejoin the NYPD in January 2023, but his request was denied. Suarez had been jogging along a Brooklyn waterfront path on Shore Parkway when she was stabbed twice in the neck at about 8:15 p.m. local time, per the NYPD.

She was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, but died from her injuries three days later.

The TD Bank teller and Brooklyn College graduate had been planning to meet her parents after her evening run, according to the New York Daily News and the New York Post. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Her parents became concerned when she failed to show up at their prearranged meeting spot and was not answering her phone, per the outlets.

“This is a person who is very family-oriented, very work-oriented, was a productive, beautiful member of society,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said in a statement, per the Daily News. “Unfortunately, this horrific event happened to her. Right now, it seems that it’s random. Nobody else would have known that she was running there at that particular time.”

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