A horrifying shooting of two men, an imam named Maulama Akomjee and his assistant Thara Uddin, took place in broad daylight in Ozone Park, Queens, not far from the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid Mosque on Saturday afternoon, killing both.
Complex spoke to Officer Phillips of the NYPD Press Relations office, who filled in the details prior to Uddin's death being announced.
"Two males shot in their 50s at 79th Street and Liberty Avenue," she said. "One is deceased, one is over at Jamaica Hospital. No information on motive. Unknown description of the perpetrator. Still waiting for more information."
Shortly after that statement, it was confirmed that Uddin died.
NBC is reporting that police sources have done a preliminary investigation that indicates the shooting was a robbery.
Despite the fact that the police have not officially released any information about motive, the fact that one of the victims was an imam, and that the victims were near a mosque, have caused many residents to feel that the shooting was a hate crime. Dozens gathered at the scene after the shooting to express that view.
At least one resident was quoted tying the incident explicitly to the climate created by Donald Trump's campaign.
“That’s not what America is about,” said Khairul Islam, 33. “We blame Donald Trump for this... Trump and his drama has created Islamophobia.”
The Trump campaign released a statement to Complex about the incident.
“To blame any political candidate for these murders is a highly irresponsible and obviously politically motivated attempt to push an agenda. Mr. Trump opposes crime and violence in any form and, as president, will work with law enforcement and community leaders to create an environment where tragedies like this never happen again.”
Hillary Clinton weighed in via Twitter on Sunday.
