Fears Grow For Denver's Senegalese Community As Reward Increases In Green Valley Ranch Fatal Fire Case

(CBS4) - Papa Dia is reluctant to suggest an idea for a motive to what killed a Senegalese family in a fire in Denver's Green Valley Ranch neighborhood early August. There just doesn't seem to be any reason that makes sense in the killings of three adults and two children in a fire.

"We don't want to jump the gun to say what it is, but the reality is there are five precious people from our community that were taken away from us in such a brutal manner and it's hard."

So hard, that friends of victim Djibril Diol are trying to deal with fear along with concern.

"We're such a loving community. We don't fight hate with hate. We always want to show love," said Amadou Dieng. "We have a younger generation that's coming that we cannot we have to show example and they cannot see us acting with any hatred at all."

It's hard to understand the three people in masks and hooded clothing who investigators believe started the fire at about 2:30 in the morning on Aug. 5. So far there's no suggestion of motive. It is possible that it could be a hate crime in some way, but there's no evidence of that yet.

"We hope that it is not, but in any case if it does happen to be it will create worries within our communities but we are not hateful people. We came to this country for better opportunity," said Dieng.

Killed in the fire were Djibril Diol and his wife Adja, as well as their two year old daughter Khadija, Djibril's sister Hassan and her infant daughter Hawa Baye. Djibirl was a civil engineering graduate of Colorado State University working on the Central 70 project and he hoped to help people back in his native Senegal as well.

"He wanted to build water dams, build infrastructure. Because he wanted to make sure that his family and his community is also taken care of," said family friend Ousman Ba.

Amid the concern over a crime with no suspects a month after the fire spread through the family home on North Truckee Street in Denver. Dia told CBS4 they are currently satisfied that investigators seem to be working hard.

"They're working on it, it's a priority to them but at the same time we are concerned the fact that we don't hear and progress," he said.

He urged people to share the images of three masked individuals wearing hooded suits who appeared to be organized in the attack.

"Please take a photo of the crime alert and just share it on your social media. That is the main thing that we are asking for everyone to help."

Amadou Dieng noted that people in the wider community have been kind.

"We are so blessed to have such a loving community," said Dieng.

"This man had a vision," he said of his friend they called Djibi. "He wanted to bring his family here, so they could experience this American dream. He brought his wife, his daughter."

The American dream though is shattered and five people lost. Causing fear in the Senegalese community.

"We don't know if they're out there plotting the next evil act," said Dia. "People are not eating properly and they are not sleeping properly because of that fear of the unknown of why they did this and who did this."

There is now a $40,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

In:
• Green Valley Ranch
• Denver Fire