NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (UPI) — A respected Muslim imam and an associate were killed outside a Queens mosque Saturday by a lone gunman as they walked home from prayers.
Imam Maulama Akonjee and his associate, Thara Uddin, were approached from behind and shot at point-blank range, NYPD Deputy Inspector Henry Sautner, of the Queens South Detective Bureau, said.
Akonjee died shortly after the shooting and Uddin was pronounced dead about four hours later, the New York Daily News reported..
Early on, police said they would not classify the shooting as a hate crime.
Witnesses saw the suspect flee, carrying a gun in his hand, police said.
“We are currently conducting an extensive canvass of the area for video and additional witnesses,” Sautner said.
Video surveillance showed the victims, both dressed in religious garb, were approached from behind, Al Jazeera reported. The shooter, wearing a dark polo shirt and shorts, shot them and fled, while still carrying the gun.
Naima Akonjee, 28, one of Akonjee’s seven children, said she rushed to her parents’ home after the shooting. She said her father had no known enemies. He was carrying $1,000 in cash at the time of the shooting, but the money was not taken.
Despite the early announcement that police would not classify the shootings as a hate crime,members of the Bangladeshi Muslim community are calling for that to change.
“We want justice!”, a crowd of more than 100 chanted Saturday night.
“I understand the fear because I feel it myself,” said Sarah Sayeed, a member of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s staff who attended the rally. “I understand the anger. But it’s very important to mount a thorough investigation.”
Tiffany Phillips, a spokeswoman for the New York City Police Department, said no evidence has surfaced to support a hate crime, nothing to substantiate the two were targeted due to their religion.
The Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), held a news conference Saturday near the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid, the mosque where the two men had prayed.
“Read my lips: This is a hate crime” directed at Islam, said Kobir Chowdhury, a local mosque leader.
The mayor’s press secretary, Eric Phillips, said the mayor is closely monitoring the police department’s investigation of the shootings.
“While it is too early to tell what led to these murders, it is certain that the NYPD will stop at nothing to ensure justice is served,” Phillips said.
CAIR had issued a statement in June, suggesting Muslim community leaders increase security following the Orlando massacre and incidents targeting Muslims and Islamic houses of worship.
The man who killed 49 in an Orlando nightclub claimed to be “an Islamic soldier.”
