A teacher accused of stabbing a runner to death in a random attack allegedly returned to class “like nothing happened,” according to police sources.
Sayed Mohassib, 27, is accused of murdering 28-year-old jogger Katie Suarez on a New York City path on October 30. Police sources believe Mohassib then went back to work as normal the following Monday, teaching young children at a primary school in Brooklyn until he was arrested on Saturday, November 7.
Suspect's Background and Prior Incidents
The same sources say Mohassib reportedly killed a family pet when he was younger, one of a series of mental health episodes reported by the New York Post. Mohassib was a New York City police officer for several weeks in autumn 2022, until he left the NYPD to join the US Marines. However, he was rejected from military service and refused re-entry with the police in January 2023 because he appeared “disheveled,” sources added.
Reports suggest Mohassib also once killed a family cat or dog, his mother told police previously. He is now in custody.
Details of the Attack
Police allege Mohassib stabbed Katie Suarez twice in the neck as she ran along a Brooklyn promenade. He was found using facial-recognition CCTV cameras that traced footage of Mohassib reportedly entering and leaving the area of the killing to his government ID.
NBC News reports Suarez’s father went looking for his daughter after she failed to arrive at a pre-planned meeting with her parents. Tragically, he found her wounded and she died in hospital days later.
School Response
Mohassib was a paraprofessional teacher, similar to a classroom aide, at PS 200, also known as The Benson School, in Brooklyn. An Education Department spokesperson said in a statement: “The safety of our students is our very top priority. 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.”
