ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — It’s been nearly two weeks since Ahmed Zainuldeen, 23, was shot and killed during a carjacking in the parking lot of his apartment building in Arapahoe County.
“He had a brave heart,” said Zainuldeen's mother, Bushra Hadi Abdullah, through a translator.
“He loved life,” said his father Maath AbdulHameed.
Zainuldeen was getting ready for bed on Sept. 19 when he looked out the window and noticed a group breaking into his car. He went outside to confront the suspects, and was shot. The suspects got away with Zainuldeen's silver 2012 Hyundai Sonata, which was later recovered in Aurora.
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The family of four moved to Denver 10 months ago after fleeing to Egypt from their home country of Iraq. The family, who was chasing the American dream, never thought something like this would happen.
"I never thought for one second coming to the USA my son would be killed,” said AbdulHameed.
"When we got the opportunity to come here, we felt we finally, you know, made it in terms of being safe and secure, and our sons would be able to thrive in an environment and fulfill their dreams,” said Abdullah.
Ahmed and his younger brother, Mahmood Zainuldeen, 22, have been providing for the family since their move to Denver. Their parents can't work due to health issues. The African Community Center (ACC), a Denver nonprofit that helped place the family in Denver, created a GoFundMe to help the family get by during this horrific time.
"I'm very thankful for what the ACC has done. They've been with us since this happened and are still with us. We'd like to thank all the community,” said AbdulHameed.
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The family is hoping the suspects will be caught soon so they can find some form of justice.
"Until now, they're not caught. We hope that changes soon,” said AbdulHameed.
No arrests have been made in this case. The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said it was searching for four people, possibly juveniles. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or dispatch at 303-795-4711.
If you would like to help the family during this difficult time, click here.
