A Queens imam and his friend were fatally shot by a lone gunman

A respected imam, Maulama Akonjee, and his assistant, Thara Uddin, were both fatally shot in the head Saturday as they walked from afternoon prayers at Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in Queens, New York.

Police say they believe the suspect is a lone gunman, who was described as "tall and dark-skinned, carrying a large handgun, and wearing a dark blue shirt and short pants." It is unknown if the suspect spoke to the two men, who were dressed in identifiably Muslim garb, before he began shooting.

Witnesses say they believe the incident to be a hate crime motivated by Islamophobia, and though the NYPD say it is too early to know if that is correct, the investigation will be conducted by the department's Hate Crimes Task Force. "We are devastated," said Kobir Chowdhury, who is president of another nearby mosque. "We needs to get to the bottom of this. We need to know if they did this just because of our religion."

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This post has been updated throughout.