Upper Darby neighbors call for an immediate arrest after killing of mosque member
UPPER DARBY, Pa. (CBS) -- Grief and frustration poured onto the corner of 69th and Walnut Streets Friday afternoon after there was still not an arrest in the killing of a man Sunday night outside an Upper Darby mosque.
"What do we want? Justice," chanted members of the Muslim and Bangladeshi communities outside the Masjid Al-Madinah.
Many were angry, confused, and scared after the back parking lot of the mosque became a crime scene on Sunday, October 29.
"It was a personal shocker, a shocker for the community. It was a shocker for myself because I have known him for close to 25 years," said mosque president Ziaur Rahman.
He said he missed his friend, 65-year-old Mohammad Mahbob Rahman, who police said was trying to attend evening prayers that Sunday. However, investigators said Mohammad never made it inside the mosque. Police said someone shot and killed Mohammad and took off in his car. Investigators are still looking for a person caught on surveillance video and have not yet arrested the killer.
Members of the Bangladeshi community call for Justice for the killing of three men in the past year and the end to gun violence after Mohammad Mahbob Rahman was killed while trying to enter the Masjid Al Madinah Sunday in Upper Darby. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/eHYD490Lvg
— Kim Kelly Hudson (@kimhudsontv) November 3, 2023
"Who knows who he killed before and who he is going to kill after," Rahman said. "The police need to do is step up their investigations. Step up their efforts in order to nail this guy."
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said that is exactly what investigators are doing.
"We are using every tool in our toolbox and all the resources we can to devote to finding the killer," Stollsteimer said.
Neighbors at the vigil also remembered Asif Rahman [no relation to Ziaur or Mohammad]. Ariful Haque was also honored, and his father said the 31-year-old was found beaten and later died in the hospital in May 2023. Ziaur said gun violence in the area is getting worse.
Members of the Masjid say there are too many robberies, shootings, and carjackings in Upper Darby.
— Kim Kelly Hudson (@kimhudsontv) November 3, 2023
"30 years ago, it did not look like this. 20 years ago, it was not like this," Rahman said. "But in the last decade or so, it has just gone through the roof."
The people said there is a good police presence during the day but they want more patrols at night to prevent robberies, carjackings, and shootings. Stollsteimer said police and prosecutors are working to overcome various issues and solve crime.
"Sometimes, it's a resource issue, sometimes it's a strategy issue," Stollsteimer said.
Still, Stollsteimer said Mohammad Rahman's killer will be caught.
"We are going to bring him to justice, it's just a matter of when," Stollsteimer said.