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Victim of Saturday shooting spree mourned by community, Mayor Adams in Bay Ridge
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jul 10, 2023
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Brittany Kriegstein
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jul 10, 2023
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Family, friends, Mayor Eric Adams and hundreds of Yemeni community members from Brooklyn and Queens assembled to mourn Monday as 86-year-old Hamoud Saeidi was laid to rest, two days after he was shot to death at random by a 25-year-old scooter rider.
“This person did not kill my father only,” said an emotional Main Saeidi, one of Hamoud’s four sons, outside the Beit El-Maqdis Islamic Center in Bay Ridge. “He killed everybody in the community. He killed the whole family.”
The elder Saeidi was remembered as a loving, devout patriarch who came to this country 40 years ago from his native Yemen to work, with little more than the shirt on his back.
After getting his start in California, he moved to New York City, and came to own several bodegas. He was a staple in the tight-knit community of Yemeni immigrants, Main Saeidi said, and could always be counted on to help fellow immigrants get jobs and support their families.
Hamoud Saeidi spent his last moments Saturday doing what he did every weekend: walking to the mosque from his home in Jamaica, Queens. Alleged gunman Thomas Abreu rolled up and shot Saeidi in the back, leaving him to collapse on the sidewalk.
The brutal murder left Saeidi’s wife of 60 years, six children, 30 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren in grief-stricken shock.
“For us personally, he was our backbone, he was everything to us,” Main Saedi said through tears.
“I ask from the police commissioner and everyone — and we believe in the U.S. law and court system — that this person is going to get what he deserves, and not come out and do it again,” he added.
Hamoud Saeidi, in a photograph provided by his family, was remembered in a rally and gathering on Monday in Bay Ridge.
Family of Hamoud Saeidi
Abreu was arrested just after 1 p.m. Saturday, after a shooting spree that began in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, and ended in Jamaica, Queens. Besides Saeidi, police said Abreu shot a 21-year-old man in the shoulder, a 44-year-old man in the face and a 63-year-old man in the shoulder. All were taken to area hospitals, and the 44-year-old remains in critical condition, according to police.
Police said Abreu also opened fire at a group of people on 134th Street and Jamaica Avenue, but no one was hit.
He was arraigned on murder, attempted murder and weapons charges in Queens Criminal Court on Monday afternoon, via video conference from a hospital bed, and ordered held without bail.
Abdul Mubarez, president of the Yemeni American Merchants Association (YAMA) and a friend of Saeidi’s, pleaded for gun control on behalf of the community of bodega and deli workers.
“Guns are the actual killers of innocent people," he said. "We don’t want them anymore. I appeal to all who basically handle the laws in this city and in our country, take away guns from us, please.”
Mayor Eric Adams stopped by the Bay Ridge mosque to join the mourners, and briefly spoke to reporters outside.
“It appears as though this individual had a mental illness, mental health problems, he was driving an illegal scooter and he used a ghost gun, all things I have been focusing on,” Adams said.
He praised the quick police response, and called Saeidi a “pillar of the city.”
Hours after Saeidi’s death on Saturday, deli owner Bassam Khateeb was gunned down in his Staten Island shop during a robbery, according to police.
“We are feeling a tragic, tragic loss of two beloved community members,” said YAMA co-founder Dr. Debbie Almontaser. “We are devastated beyond belief.”
Main Saeidi said that he last spoke to his father on Friday after prayers.
“I wanted to wish him just, ‘happy Friday.’ And he told me, ‘God bless your son,’ because I have a 6-year-old son,” he said, breaking down with emotion.
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public safety
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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