The gunman approached the men from behind and shot both in the head at close range at about 1:50 p.m. EDT on a blistering hot afternoon in the Ozone Park neighborhood, police said in a statement, adding that no arrests had been made, Reuters reported.
“The motive for the shooting was not immediately known and no evidence has been uncovered that the two men were targeted because of their faith,” said Tiffany Phillips, a spokeswoman for the New York City Police Department.
Even so, police were not ruling out any possibility, she added.
The victims, identified as Imam MaulanaAkonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, were both wearing religious garb at the time of shooting, police said. Police had initially identified Uddin as Tharam.
“The men were transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where they died,” hospital spokesman Andrew Rubin said.
The organization held a news conference on Saturday evening in front of the mosque, the Al-FurqanJame Masjid, where the two men had prayed.
“We are calling for all people, of all faiths, to rally with compassion and with a sense of vigilance so that justice can be served,” Nasher said.
A gunman killed 49 people in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub on June 12.