Philadelphia shooting suspect charged with 5 counts of murder
Five people were killed and two children were wounded when an attacker wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying an AR-15 style weapon fired shots.
LEARN MOREPosted: 7:40 p.m. EDT Jul 7, 2023
31-year-old Afghan immigrant Nasrat Ahmad Yar was shot and killed in Washington, D.C. while driving for a ride-share service trying to make ends meet and provide for his family.
He spent the majority of his adult life helping U.S. forces in Afghanistan as an interpreter before escaping to the United States with his family to make a better life.
Police have made no arrests in the case despite having video evidence that shows four suspected attackers running through an alleyway near where Ahmad Yar was murdered yelling, "You just killed him!"
Another in the surveillance video can be heard yelling, "He was reaching, bro!"
When police arrived on the scene they found Ahmad Yar's body. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
On the surveillance video, a single gunshot can be heard before the four suspects, appearing to be young men or boys, are seen running away.
Police have offered a $25,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
Ahmad Yar's tragic death has left Washington, D.C. with yet another reminder of how city officials have not been able to get control of steadily rising crime rates that include many murders and carjackings.
Carjackings in Washington, D.C. have risen by 49% this year, and have increased for five years in a row.
There were at least 80 homicides in the city by May of this year, a 7% increase over the same time in 2022.
Ahmad Yar, who was driving for the ride-share service Lyft when he was murdered, was the sole provider for his wife and four children, ranging in age from 15 months to 13 years.
His cousin Mohammad Ahmadi said, "His family is in a lot of need right now."
"On the night of the tragedy, my cousin decided to work an extra shift because they didn't have enough money to pay the rent," Ahmadi told CNN.
A crowdfunding page was set up to provide some relief to Ahmad Yar's family.
His family said he advocated for more rights for women in Afghanistan, and wanted to see Afghanistan become a peaceful country where education was available to all.
