Photo: Julianna01 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters Monday he has directed his team to conduct “a full review” of how Sayed Mohassib, 27, a school aide at PS 200 in Brooklyn, was hired. Mohassib is charged in the Oct. 30 killing of jogger Katie Suarez, 28. He has been charged, not convicted.
“Nothing is more paramount than the safety of our students,” the mayor said, adding that city public schools had suspended the individual and were moving to terminate his employment pending the outcome of the case. The city Department of Education later said Mohassib’s employment has been terminated. “We are supporting the NYPD in their investigation however is needed,” a department representative said.
Local elected officials, including City Councilwoman Kayla Santosuosso and state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, called for a full investigation into the circumstances of his hiring and continued employment. Prosecutors say Mohassib was a school aide at the time of his arrest. See our earlier report: School aide held without bail in the killing of Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez.
Why it matters: the review puts the city’s hiring and vetting of school staff under scrutiny. Still unknown: what the review will examine, how long it will take, and what background checks were done when he was hired.
Archival photo: Bensonhurst Park in Brooklyn. It is not a picture of the attack site.
JBizNews Desk | Brooklyn, N.Y.
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