Police have released a sketch of the man who fatally gunned down a popular Queens Imam and another man in a broad daylight execution Saturday.
Sketch of suspect believed to have shot the leader of a mosque and a friend in New York New York City Police DepartmentImam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his friend Thara Uddin, 64, were wearing traditional Muslim garb when a lone gunman sporting a beard and glasses walked up behind them and blasted them each in the back of the head.
Police said the men were not robbed and never saw their killer stalking them. Authorities have not yet determined whether the double killing was a hate crime. A couple thousand community members gathered in Ozone Park after the killings calling for justice.
The slaying happened as the two men were walking home after prayers at an Ozone Park mosque when the suspect shot them around 2 p.m. near the corner of Liberty Avenue and 79th Street, police said.
Witnesses saw the man take off after executing the two men and police are looking for surveillance video showing the suspect.
He was described by witnesses as a bearded man with glasses and a medium complexion who was wearing a dark colored shirt and dark colored shorts.
Anyone with information is being asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
