Imam and His Assistant Killed in Queens Shooting [Updated]
An imam was fatally shot in the head and another man, whom the New York Daily News reported to be the imam’s assistant, also succumbed to his wounds after being attacked by a lone-gunman on Saturday.
The shooting took place two blocks from the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, New York, NBC 4 New York reports.
According to the Daily News, dozens of Muslim men crowded around the scene of the murder, and many of them seemed to conclude the incident had been a hate crime.
Local resident Khairul Islam told the Daily News, “We blame Donald Trump for this…. Trump and his drama has created Islamophobia.”
According to two police sources who spoke to NBC 4 New York, their initial investigation into the crime indicates it was motivated by a robbery.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details become available.
Update [8/14, 11 a.m]: Police told the New York Times that both shooting victims, Maulama Akonjee and Al-Furqan Jame Masjid have died.
Police have yet to determine a motive for the shooting. Per the Times:
The police said that they were investigating what led to the shooting, saying they did not know whether it was related to a botched robbery, a dispute or anything tied to their religion or race. “There’s nothing in the preliminary investigation that would indicate that they were targeted by their faith,” said Henry Sautner, a deputy inspector in the New York Police Department.