Accused of killing NYPD cop Adid Fayaz tried to cover up bullet hole with duct tape during manhunt: prosecutors

Prosecutors said Tuesday that shortly after the fatal shooting of NYPD cop Adid Fayaz, Randy “Popper” Jones attempted to cover up evidence of the crime with a piece of tape.

“There was a bullet hole in his car when it was found, but it was covered with tape,” Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Layla Rosini said during the suspect’s arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Wednesday.

Jones, 38, was ordered to be held without bail for allegedly shooting police officer Adid Fayaz during a botched robbery of a Facebook Marketplace in Brooklyn on Saturday night.

The 26-year-old officer died Tuesday after being shot in the head during a violent firefight during a robbery.

More than 100 police officers stood in the courtroom gallery, glaring at Jones, who was charged by prosecutors with murder, attempted robbery and possession of a weapon.

Fayaz and his brother-in-law met with Jones on Ruby Street in East New York the day after Fayaz postponed Friday’s Facebook Marketplace meeting to buy a $24,000 Honda Pilot, police said.

The officer was not feeling well, but arrived on Saturday around 6:50 pm to close the deal.

“(It’s) the type of car that attracts hard-working, honest people,” Rosini said in Honda’s court. “Having lured the deceased, a New York police officer and his (relative) taxi driver, the accused pulled out a gun, demanded money and fired.”

Fayaza’s brother-in-law drew the mortally wounded policeman’s pistol from its holster to shoot at the fleeing Jones. He fired six shots against Jones’ five, with at least one bullet hitting a car that had escaped the suspect.

According to Rosini, after the shooting, Jones turned off the phone he used to arrange the meeting.

“He threw [getaway] car and went on the run with his girlfriend and five children,” she added.

Jones was tracked to a hotel in upstate Rockland County and arrested on Monday in front of his girlfriend and five children, ages 6 months to 11 years old. Once in custody, the police handcuffed the suspect to Fayaz.

The accused shooter has a long list of charges, including 13 previous arrests in New York, prosecutors said. He was also arrested for crimes in Virginia Beach, police said.

On the night of the shooting, Jones took the couple to an alley before asking, “Do you guys carry guns?” and put a headlock on Fayaz, the police said. He then put a gun to the officer’s head and demanded money. Fayaz broke free when the would-be thug pointed his weapon at his son-in-law, police said.

Jones then allegedly shot Fayaz in the head, firing half a dozen bullets as he ran to his getaway car.

Jones, dressed in a Tyvek suit, said nothing during his brief interrogation. His lawyer, Michael Rooney, asked that no photographers be allowed into the courtroom, believing that photographs of him wearing a Tyvek suit would contaminate potential jurors.

“The police took all of my client’s clothes when they arrested him and he was wearing a Tyvek suit, which is completely biased,” Rooney said.

Jones had previously been arrested for strangulation, grand larceny and aggravated harassment, with most of the arrests in his 20s and taking place in Brooklyn, a source told the Daily News. He also pleaded guilty to “sexual relations” with an underage teenager in Virginia back in 2015, court documents showed.

In 2014, he was arrested for strangulation at Precinct 25 in his East Harlem neighborhood. That same year, Jones was arrested on two counts of grand larceny and one count of petty theft, while his recent arrests included felony contempt of court and driving without a license in 2019.

He is due back in court on Feb. 10 on murder charges.