Yemen? Libya? Syria? Baghdad?, why no...Queens, NYAn imam and another man are dead following a double shooting in Queens on Saturday afternoon.
CBS2's Valerie Castro reported Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and 64-year-old associate, Tharam Uddin, were each shot in the head while on their way home from a local mosque by a man who came up behind them. The shooting took place near Liberty Avenue and 79th Street in Ozone Park around 2 p.m.
Witnesses said the imam from the Al-Furqan Masjid mosque had just delivered an afternoon service and was walking home with another member of the mosque when both men were gunned down.
The motivation behind the violence is still unclear, but many from the surrounding community who attend the mosque are calling this a hate crime.
"After prayer, he taught us how to live peacefully and how to help each other," said Nazrul Islam of Ozone Park.
"A family man has been lost and a scholarly imam has been lost and we are devastated and we want … peace," said Kobir Chowdhury of Ozone Park.
"We feel really insecure and unsafe in a moment like this," said Millat Uddin of Ozone Park. "It's really threatening to us, threatening to our future, threatening to our mobility in our neighborhood, and we're looking for the justice."
Kicker:
Police said there is nothing to indicate that they were targeted because of their faith.
Police added there is surveillance video in the area showing a man running with a gun