TRIED TO TAPE OVER COP KILLING, SAYS DA
Suspect in slaying of Officer Fayaz used tape to cover bullet hole in getaway car, court told as murder charges are leveled
Shortly after fatally shooting off-duty NYPD cop Adeed Fayaz, Randy “Popper” Jones tried to cover up evidence of the crime with a piece of tape, prosecutors said Tuesday.
“His car, when it was recovered, had a bullet hole in it but it was covered up by tape,” Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini said during the suspect’s arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Wednesday.
Jones, 38, was ordered held without bail for allegedly gunning down Fayaz during a botched Facebook Marketplace robbery in Brooklyn Saturday night.
The 26-year-old officer died Tuesday after being shot in the head during a furious exchange of gunfire during the robbery.
More than 100 cops stood in the courtroom gallery, glowering at Jones, whom prosecutors charged with murder, attempted robbery and weapon possession.
Fayaz and his brother-in-law met up with Jones on Ruby St. in East New York a day after Fayaz postponed a Friday meeting arranged on Facebook Marketplace to buy a Honda Pilot for $24,000, cops said.
The officer was feeling under the weather but arrived Saturday around 6:50 p.m. to close the deal.
“[It’s] the type of car that lures hardworking, honest people,” Rosini said in court of the Honda. “After luring the deceased, a New York City police officer and his [relative], a livery cab driver, the defendant pulled a gun, demanded money and shot.”
Fayaz’s brother-in-law grabbed the mortally wounded cop’s gun from its holster to shoot at the fleeing Jones. He fired six rounds to Jones’ five, with at least one bullet striking the suspect’s getaway vehicle — his mother’s BMW.
After the shooting, Jones switched off the phone he used to set up the meeting, Rosini said.
“He ditched the [getaway] car and went on the run with his girlfriend and five children,” she added.
Jones was tracked to a hotel in Rockland County and arrested Monday in front of his girlfriend and children, ages 6 months to 11 years old. Once in custody, police cuffed the suspect with Fayaz’s handcuffs.
The accused gunman has a lengthy rap sheet including 13 prior New York City arrests, prosecutors said. He’s also been arrested for crimes in Virginia Beach, cops said.
On the night of the shooting, Jones steered the pair to an alley before asking, “Are you guys carrying a gun?” and placing Fayaz in a headlock, cops said. He then held his gun to the officer’s head and demanded his money. Fayaz broke free when the would-be bandit aimed his weapon at the brother-in-law, police said.
Jones then allegedly shot Fayaz in the head while firing off a half-dozen bullets as he ran to his getaway vehicle.
Dressed in a Tyvek suit, Jones said nothing during his brief arraignment. His attorney Michael Rooney asked that photographers
be barred from the courtroom, saying that photos of him dressed in a Tyvek suit would contaminate a potential jury pool.
“The police took all of my client’s clothes when he was arrested and he’s dressed in a Tyvek suit, which is entirely prejudicial,” Rooney said.
Jones was previously arrested for strangulation, grand larceny and aggravated harassment, with most of the arrests dating to his early 20s and occurring in Brooklyn, a source told the Daily News. He also pleaded guilty to “carnal knowledge” of an underaged teen in Virginia back in 2015, court documents showed.
In 2014, he was arrested for strangulation in the 25th Precinct in his East Harlem neighborhood. Jones was busted that same year on two counts of grand larceny and one count of petty larceny, while his more recent arrests included criminal contempt and driving without a license in 2019.
He’s due back in court Friday on the murder charges.
In a statement, the Legal Aid Society, which is representing Jones, said the organization “had not received any evidence linking Mr. Jones to the offense.”
“While we recognize that this is a painful and difficult time for New York City Police Department Officer Adeed Fayaz’s family, friends and community, Randy Jones is entitled to the presumption of innocence, a fundamental principle required by the United States Constitution,” the nonprofit said. “We encourage the public to withhold judgment and to allow this case to proceed through the criminal legal system.”
The funeral for Fayaz is expected to take place Thursday at the Makki Masjid Muslim Community Center on Coney Island Ave. in Midwood, Brooklyn, sources said. Services will begin about 8 a.m. and continue through the afternoon.