Friends and neighbors of American Muslim who was killed while taking photos in a Dallas compound have gathered at a prayer vigil, pleading for the public to step forward with information in his killing.
It doesn't matter who you are," Cheryl Roy, who lived next door to Ahmed Al-Jumaili, told ABC WFAA.
"It saddens me to know that such violence exists right out your front door."
Al-Jumaili, 36, was with his wife, who wears an Islamic head scarf or hijab, when shots were fired at the couple last March 6.
Police say witnesses saw two men heading in opposite directions walk by and then come back and shoot Al-Jumaili. A bias motive has not been ruled out.
After the shooting, the victim's wife called 911 to report the shooting of her husband.
Several cars parked in the apartment complex were hit, including a truck that was struck with eight bullets.
Al-Jumaili had just moved to the United States and Dallas from Iraq when he was killed. He reunited with his bride for just three weeks.
The vigil was held last Sunday under the title "silence the violence" in front of the Walnut Bend apartment complex Ahmed Al-Jumaili called home.
With no suspects arrested so far, attendants urged anyone who has information to step forward and report it to police.
Releasing surveillance video last Saturday, Dallas police say it is believed to show the suspect or suspects shortly after the shooting.
"It could've been any one of us," Roy says.
"It could've been my fiancée, my brother, could have been a sister. It's just sad that there's such violence and it towards someone who you don't even know."
Justice
Killed by strangers, Al-Jumaili’s vigil was attended by strangers calling for justice.
"We're here to stand together as human beings and to understand the frailty of life," Larry Anthony who traveled from nearby Richardson to show support said.
"When it comes down to it, we all need each other."
Alia Salem with the Council on American-Islamic Relations DFW branch organized the vigil.
"To help bring the individuals responsible for this heinous crime to justice, individuals and organizations of conscience are working together to help the Dallas Police Department get information we hope will be helpful,” she said.
"Since the shooting death of Al-Jumaili, concerned citizens from across the country have responded to this tragedy. From messages of love and support to generous financial contributions, the support has been breathtaking."
Based on what the family has conveyed, CAIR-DFW said it does not appear Al-Jumaili was in any way targeted.
"This is a brutal horrific murder or a beautiful man with a beautiful smile and a beautiful family," Salem says.
"And they deserve justice."
The shooting is not the first to target American Muslims.
Last month, three young American Muslims, Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23 his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21 and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were found dead at a condominium complex off campus.
The gunman, identified as 46-year-old Craig Stephen Hicks, reportedly turned himself into police.
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