A New York City Department of Education employee faces murder charges in the stabbing death of a 28-year-old woman last week in Brooklyn, authorities announced Saturday. Katie Suarez was stabbed while running on the Shore Parkway in Brooklyn on the night of October 30. His father found Suárez injured on the road. She was rushed to hospital with a stab wound to the neck, but ultimately died from her injuries. On Saturday, the NYPD said it had arrested 27-year-old Sayed Mohassib of Brooklyn. Mohassib is charged with second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon. Mohassib, dressed in flip-flops and a red jacket, did not answer any questions as police led him out of the 62nd Precinct on Saturday afternoon. The circumstances that led to Suárez’s murder were not immediately clear. It was also not immediately clear what led police to Mohassib. Katie Suarez NYPD The suspect is an employee of the New York City Department of Education. Law enforcement sources say he worked at Public School 200 in Brooklyn, and was also a member of the NYPD in field training in the Bronx from October to November 2022. “The safety of our students is our top priority. We have suspended this individual and will take steps to terminate him pending the outcome of his conviction. We are supporting the NYPD in their investigation, as necessary,” the Department of Education said in a statement. Mohassib’s employment at the DOE has raised questions from elected officials. City Councilwoman Kayla Santosuosso, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblyman-elect Chris McCreight said in a joint statement that Mohassib “was evidently a mentally disturbed man with no criminal record” who had been “a former NYPD officer and a former Marine who was discharged from the military for psychiatric reasons.” “However, it is concerning that at the time of the attack he was a DOE employee and was serving as a teacher’s aide at a public school,” they said. “This latest revelation raises serious questions about how he came to be employed at a local public school and warrants a full investigation into the circumstances of his hiring and continued employment.” Suárez’s murder sparked shock and outrage throughout New York City, along with an intense search by the NYPD for his killer. Pedestrians on the greenway reacted Saturday upon hearing of the arrest. “I think it’s a little relief. I guess it’s relief and hopefully potentially some closure for his family,” one person said. Earlier this week, Katie’s distraught mother, Yasira Suarez, had called on the suspect to turn himself in, saying “you took an angel.” More from CBS News at:
