WAS A LOCAL TEENAGER WAS KILLED
BECAUSE HE
WAS SOMALIAN?
THE COUNCIL FOR AMERICAN-ISLAMIC
RELATIONS SAYS, IN THE WAKE OF
THE SHOOTING,
MANY IN THE SOMALI COMMUNITY--
NOW FEAR
THEY'RE BEING TARGETED.
BUT AS WE FOUND OUT... NOT
EVERYONE IS
AFRAID.
NBC4'S KATIE FERRELL IS LIVE
FROM COLUMBUS
POLICE HEADQUARTERS WITH MORE ON
THE
CONCERNS BEING RAISED.
KATIE?
KATIE:
POLICE HAVEN'T RULED 15 YEAR OLD
MOHAMED
ABDULKADIR'S DEATH A HATE CRIME,
BUT CAIR
SAYS AFTER THE SHOOTING MANY
SOMALI
FAMILIES ARE WORRIED THEY'LL BE
ATTACKED
BECAUSE OF THEIR ETHNICITY. I
SPOKE WITH A SOMALI FAMILY IN
THE
NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THE SHOOTING
HAPPENED-THEY SAY BEING SOMALIAN
HAD
NOTHING TO DO WITH ABDULKADIR'S
DEATH.
13 YEAR OLD SUHEYB AHMED IS
HAVING A HARD
TIME COPING WITH THE LOSS OF HIS
LIFE-LONG FRIEND.
SUHEYB AHMED, 8TH GRADE STUDENT:
"I WAS LIKE IT'S NOT POSSIBLE HE
CAN'T BE DEAD LIKE IT WAS
SOMEBODY ELSE MAYBE THEY WERE
JUST CONFUSED." SUHEYB AND HIS
MOTHER KHADRA DIDN'T WANT TO
SHOW THEIR FACES ON CAMERA.
THEY SAY ABDULKADIR, WHO LIVED
ACROSS THE STREET, WAS LIKE
FAMILY.
KHADRA AHMED, SHOOTING VICTIM'S
NEIGHBOR: "WE WERE REALLY CLOSE
FRIENDS, HE LIVES RIGHT THERE,
WE WOULD ALWAYS GO PLAY SOCCER
OR FOOTBALL OR BASKETBALL
TOGETHER." THE AHMED'S HAVE
LIVED IN THIS BLACKLICK
NEIGHBORHOOD FOR 14 YEARS.
KHADRA AHMED, SHOOTING VICTIM'S
NEIGHBOR: "I LOVE THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE DON'T
HAVE ANY PROBLEMS." THEY'VE
NEVER FELT TARGETED AT HOME OR
SCHOOL.
"THIS ISSUE IS NOT FOR HATE OR
RACIST THIS IS SOMETHING CAME
FROM THE KIDS. WE FEEL SAFE."
ROMIN IQBAL, WITH CAIR COLUMBUS
SAYS SOMALI FAMILIES HE SPOKE
WITH DON'T FEEL THE SAME.
ROMIN IQBAL, COUNCIL FOR
AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS:
"THERE'S A LOT OF FEAR IN THE
COMMUNITY, IN THE SOMALI
COMMUNITY."
HE SAYS THEY'RE SCARED AND THAT
ANOTHER
SOMALI STUDENT WAS THREATENED
AFTER THE SHOOTING.
ROMIN IQBAL, COUNCIL FOR
AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS:
"I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT PARENTS ARE
NOT LETTING THEIR CHILDREN GO
OUTSIDE AND PLAY IN THE PARK
OUTSIDE THEIR HOMES."
SUHEYB JUST STARTED 8TH GRADE.
HE SAYS HE LOVES SCHOOL. LIFE
JUST WON'T BE THE SAME WITHOUT
ABDULKADIR.
"HE WAS AT THE WRONG PLACE WRONG
TIME, HE WAS A NICE BOY,
GOOD BOY."
KATIE:
THE LICKING HEIGHTS SCHOOL
DISTRICT SAYS CAIR FIRST TOLD IT
ABOUT THAT ALLEGED THREAT
AGAINST A STUDENT TODAY. IT SAYS
IT WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH
POLICE AND SAYS DOZENS OF
STUDENTS HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED
AS PART OF THE INVESTIGATION.
KATIE FERRELL, NBC4.
