"How Was This Missed?" Outrage at NYC school where Brooklyn murder suspect worked

We've got some new information about that former NYPD officer, who was also a Marine, who later worked as a teacher's aide at a Brooklyn public school. Well, he's charged with killing runner Katie Suarez, a high-profile case that we've been telling you about for a while now. We want to go to Jessica Formoso. She's actually outside that school in Brooklyn this morning. She's got an update for us. You've been talking to parents as well, Jessica. It sounds like people are pretty concerned out there. Good morning, Dan. Yes, very concerned and very upset. Parents this morning here telling me that how is it that no one in this school here at PS200 knew anything about this individual, the alleged suspect? He is being accused of killing the runner on October 30th, Katie Suarez, as she was running in the bike path there. We have learned very disturbing details of what happened that night and also disturbing details about the alleged suspect's background. We know he was with the NYPD for a very short time. Then he went to the military, was kicked out from the military, from the Marines, and then somehow landed a job here at PS200 as a teacher's aide. We actually spoke with a mother. Her son is in the fourth grade and says that... This is an elementary school, by the way, and says that he was in her son's classroom when her son saw his photo over the weekend. He was very upset. This morning, she says he did not want to come to school. She describes the suspect as odd, a little off. These are the words she used. She works at a nearby Marshall's and says that he would come into the store and he would Act in ways that she said raised red flags and then her son told her what would happen inside that classroom. And clearly this mom this morning, very concerned. She wants to know how this was missed, how no one knew about this individual's background. Jessica, we did talk to some of those parents out there this morning. Let's take a listen: I'm shocked, my daughter, she told me on TV, I saw this guy on the schools every time. I said, oh my God, how come a person like this be outside with the kids in the school doing something, killing people. I mean, I'm so, thank God. I pray, you know, they caught the guy in the right moment so he's not going to do something, be more, and people like hurt some kids. And this is going to be a big thing, I mean, for the school and for the parents. I know him. Like, he stopped talking. He said, what happened, mom? Because he was reading. He can read, like, you know. I tell him, like, you know, do you recognize him? He said, like, yeah, he's on my class, like, you know, para. So one time when I asked him, like, you know, can you help me to throw this? He said, you have leg. Use your leg. I understand. Sometimes, yes, the teacher can say that. But, like, he's connecting the dots. Like, you know, he's like, mom, he is very, like, rude. And again, Jessica, we're learning that Mohassib served as an NYPD officer for just over a month in 2002, 2022, and then enlisted in the Marines. He was discharged in less than a month. Can you sort of talk us through what we know about that process for him? Yeah, so let's go back to 2022 because the NYPD has confirmed to us that the suspect was an officer in the department for just over a month starting in October of 2022. In November of that same year, he enlists in the military. By December, he filed for resignation from the NYPD. So in January of, no, and then, so that's in December, he files for resignation of the NYPD. He served in the Marines for less than a month before reportedly being discharged on psychological and fitness grounds. So he wasn't mentally stable, and that's why he was discharged. In January of 2023, officials say he tries to rejoin the NYPD, so goes back to the NYPD, says, hey, I want to come. And back to the department, supervisors that same day noticed that something is wrong with him and that they were very concerned about his behavior. And they take him to the hospital that same exact day. He was denied, doesn't go back to the force. Somehow though, he ends up having a job with the DOE. The question many people have this morning. Including parents, concerned parents, is it, how did they miss that? If he was not able to rejoin the NYPD, he was discharged from the military, somehow, though, comes and works here at the DOE. The questions we have is, how many years was he at the DOE, at this school? I was trying to ask parents that, that mother whose son was in the classroom with the alleged suspect also tells me that in that classroom, they... Children with special needs also. So she wants to know how is it that nobody, she realized some of the encounters she had with this individual at the store where she works and her son here at the school. She wants to know how school officials didn't pick up on any of those signs. We do know that the school did send out an email, Dan, and I believe we had that email, to parents yesterday at around, I believe, anywhere between 1:30 and 2 o'clock in the afternoon, telling them about what had happened and the allegations against the former employee. He was arrested on Saturday, and we have video, Dan. I don't know if we can show the video of him walking out of the police precinct there. So he was arrested on Saturday. He pleaded not guilty once he faced the judge and they are accusing him. Prosecutors say that there is surveillance video. What is murder? They say that there is surveillance video that shows him walking on the bike path and then a few minutes later running away. So there are some details, according to the criminal complaint that that he he told investigators that he He... He went on the bike path carrying a knife because he believed people were going to come and kill his family. We also learned from the criminal complaint that the surveillance video allegedly shows a suspect walking towards the running path before the attack. Then he is seen running away moments later. Investigators also captured him returning home and then about 15 minutes later coming back outside in his underwear, disposing of items in the garbage. So he did tell me But when he is questioned about all this, he does talk to police and says that he denies stabbing anyone, telling investigators that he sat down on a bench near the Verrazano Bridge. Covered with blood and those same court documents. He also admitted to police that he ran home, threw away the bloody clothing along with the knife in an attempt to cover it all up. Now, detectives say that there were still bloodstains in his apartment. And again, we we can talk about, you know, the history with the NYPD short lived about a month. He was with with the department, then goes to the military and then ends up at a school. With elementary school children clearly many are concerned here this morning and I think there's a lot of questions and I believe Dan do we have that email from the Department of Education? I'm going to pull it up on my end. I don't know if we can pull it up there on the screen to show our viewers. On the screen, Jessica, but just as we kind of come to the end here, you can kind of summarize that, and what's next for him? He's going to be in court as soon as tomorrow, is that right? So, yeah, he's in court tomorrow. He's due back in court tomorrow, so we should be learning more tomorrow when he appears in court once again. He pleaded not guilty to murder charges, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with evidence. That said, let's talk about the victim a little bit, because we have learned that she was an organ donor and has saved lives. For lives, we haven't been we haven't been able to speak with the family of the victim. They haven't they haven't spoken to the media ever since the arrest of the alleged killer. The Department of Education, we did reach out to them asking for a statement, and a spokesperson did get back to us saying that the suspect was suspended and will move to terminate pending the outcome of the conviction. So right now, he is suspended, but not terminated, and termination would come depending on the outcome of the conviction. So we'll see what happens there. But clearly, parents here want answers as to how and when Why was this all missed? And deservedly so. Jessica Formoso, thank you very much. We appreciate your reporting this morning.