Arrest Made In Murder Of Iraqi Man
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -- Dallas Police have made an arrest in the murder of Ahmed Al-Jumaili, an Iraqi man who was shot and killed while taking pictures of the snow last week.
Al-Jumaili, 36, was shot outside of his Dallas apartment building in the 9900 block of Walnut Street on March 4. Police have arrested Nykerion Nealon, 17, and charged him with murder in Al-Jumaili's death.
Police say that Nealon was at a neighboring apartment complex earlier that night that belonged to his girlfriend. Shots were fired, hitting the complex, according to authorities.
Police believe that Nealon was out seeking revenge when he came across Al-Jumaili and his family members.
On March 10, a witness provided Richardson Police with Nealon's nickname -- "Kaca" -- as a possible suspect.
Nealon initially denied leaving his apartment following the shooting at his girlfriend's apartment. A search later found rifle cartridges that matched those at the scene.
Nealon and a witness later gave conflicting statements.
"The witness stated he observed Nealon raise the rifle and he took cover behind some mailboxes. The witness then heard one shot, followed by several more," said Dallas Police Maj. Jeff Cotner.
Nealon blamed the witness for the shooting.
The men then fled the scene and returned to Nealon's girlfriend's apartment, where he reported the earlier shooting targeting his location.
The victim's wife, Zahraa Altaie, spoke to CBS 11 on Thursday evening, recalling the night her husband died.
Zahraa said they noticed the men that night but paid no attention to them nor did anything to provoke them. The shooting appeared to be random.
"I put my hand on his heart. I still feel his heart beating. I tried to stop his bleeding, but I couldn't," said Zahraa.
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Al-Jumaili had just moved from his native Iraq to Dallas, where he was reunited with his wife.
"He had a car and was trying to find a decent job to start his life," said Mohammed Altaie, Al-Jumaili's father-in-law. "We're looking for safe place. Well educated, in a good environment. What he got was a bullet in his heart."
Family and friends had planned to gather on Friday afternoon and distribute flyers in hopes of finding the suspects responsible. A reward of $12,000 was on the table for information leading to an arrest.
Authorities have not been able to establish a motive in the shooting, but there has been no evidence to suggest it was a hate crime against the practicing Muslim.
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