Parents outraged to learn murder suspect worked at their children's school in Brooklyn

Parents at New York City's PS 200 are outraged after learning the man accused of murdering a woman on a Brooklyn jogging path was an employee at their children's school. 

They're demanding to know why Sayed Mohassib was hired in the first place.

Mohassib is accused of murdering 28-year-old Katie Suarez, stabbing her in the neck as she jogged along the Shore Parkway Greenway Oct. 30th.  

Over the weekend, City Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember-elect Chris McCreight said in a joint statement Mohassib "was evidently a mentally disturbed man with no criminal record" who had been "an ex-NYPD officer and ex-Marine who was discharged from the military on psychiatric grounds." 

He was hired by the Department of Education and worked as a teacher's aide, they said. 

"This last revelation raises serious questions about how he came to be employed in a local public school and warrants a full investigation into the circumstances of his hiring and continued employment," they said in their statement. 

A DOE spokesperson says Mohassib has been suspended, and that it "will move to terminate employment pending the outcome of the conviction."  

Monday morning, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed his concerns.

"I have directed my team to conduct a full review into this matter, I think underlining the importance of the fact that nothing is more paramount than the safety of our students," Mamdani said. 

"Every single day at dismissal I saw him. So when I saw him on TV, I was like, oh my God. It was so eerie. Scary," parent Tatyana Smirnod said. 

"When he talks, you can see he's not normal," parent Mahmuda Karim said. "We are not safe, my son was scared, he didn't want to come to school today." 

"There definitely has to be a stronger testing and background checking for these people," neighbor Guy Ventoliere said. 

Mohassib showed no emotions when he appeared in court Saturday night. 

Court documents say he was captured on video walking along the bike path just before the stabbing. He was later allegedly spotted running away, returning home, and stepping outside a few minutes later wearing only his underwear and throwing items into the trash. 

Mohassib has pleaded not guilty to second degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon

He is due back in court Tuesday morning.