The imam of a New York City mosque and his associate were gunned down Saturday as they walked home from afternoon prayers.


Authorities said the men were shot in the back of the head shortly before 2 p.m. in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens. 


Police identified the imam as 55-year-old Maulama Akonjee and the associate as Thara Uddin, 64.



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This undated image shows Imam Maulama Akonjee, who was shot and killed outside his mosque in Queens, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. (Family photo)




Witnesses described seeing a man wearing a dark blue shirt and carrying a large handgun running down the street after hearing gunfire. 


"First it was two [shots], and then he goes, ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’” a local resident told the Post. "There was a carload of people across the street, and a girl across the street, and he just targeted these two guys."


At a press conference, police said there was no indication the victims were targeted because of their religion. However, members of the Bangladeshi community served by the mosque said they want the shootings to be treated as a hate crime.


Scores of people attending a rally at the shooting site Saturday night chanted "We want justice!"


Shahin Chowdhury, a worshipper at the mosque, said members of the community had felt animosity lately, with people cursing while passing the mosque. He said he had advised fellow community members to be careful walking around, especially when in traditional clothing.


He called the imam a "wonderful person" with a voice that made his Koran readings especially compelling.


Another worshipper, Millat Uddin, said he felt the community had been targeted. "Somebody has taken the law in their own hands," said Uddin, who is not related to Thara Uddin.


Uddin said Akonjee had led the mosque for about two years and was a very pious man.


"The community's heart is totally broken," he said. "It's a great misery. It's a great loss to the community and it's a great loss to the society."


The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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