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Ethiopian film producer shot to death in Atlanta

Posted on , Updated on by EthiopianReview.com

A young Ethiopian movie producer who worked as a store clerk to supplement his income was shot and killed early Thursday in Atlanta.

(WSBTV.com) — The robbery occurred just after 3 AM on January 20, police said. Store owner Narendar Kour said the clerk, Jagama Beyene (also known as Jack Wizzy), opened a screen glass window above the counter and was met by 3 robbers.

Jagama Beyene aka Jack Wizzy Police surrounded the Citgo Glenwood Food Mart at 2315 Glenwood Avenue, which was marked by several bullet holes and shattered glass. Officers were talking to at least two witnesses.

Jagama Beyene, 26, was then shot in the stomach, and the robbers took the drawer from the cash register and ran, according to authorities.

“At some point during the robbery attempt we believe the suspect discharged his weapon at least four to five times,” said Atlanta police Lt. Keith Meadows.

Officers said they found money scattered on the floor of the business along with shell casings.

Paramedics took Beyene to the hospital, but authorities said he later died at the hospital.
Detectives said they were working to get the store’s surveillance cameras.

Kour was upset and said the killing was senseless. “If you want money, just take the money and go,” she said.

A witness, Vernon Owensby said he was sitting in his car outside the store at the time of the robbery. He said he saw two young men go into the store. A third man stopped at the door, as if to stand watch, he said.

“Then I heard shots. Then they broke out the door running and started shooting out here,” Owensby said.

He said once they left, he ran in to check on the clerk.

“I thought he was just ducking down or something, and I called him, and he was laying on the floor, so I called the police,” he said.

Another witnesses told police the men got away in a burgundy pick-up truck.

Jagama, or Jasck Wizzy as most of his friends call him, had recently launched a new documentary film titled “Habeshan Filega.”Film by Jack Wizzy (Beyene Jagama)

In his Facebook page Jagama’s friends are expressing their shock and grief at the senseless killing of such a hardworking and talented person.
Jack Wizzy (Jagama Beyene) Facebook friends express their grief

39 thoughts on “Ethiopian film producer shot to death in Atlanta”

  13. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends. What a shame, another talented Ethiopian gunned down to death. I wonder what his film was about. This probably has nothing to do with the cold blooded Woyanes, but I am sorry, knowing how they operate, I am always suspicious of them.

  15. What a shocking news. Oh my God, he is too young to die. May you have peace and comfort for ever. I passed my deep condolence for all families who had extreme hard time by the loss of this talented young boy.
    I never had such in secure feelings of my self, working as night gas station attendant. What uncertain circumstances we are living.

  17. God bless your soul…

    My sincere thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends.

    “The word that is heard perishes, but the letter that is written remains”

    Jagama will always be in our hearts and memories because of his work.

    Amina

  18. This is so sad! It always amazes me how criminals take some ones life just like that. I mean can’t just they take the money and walk away? Why kill a human being that only God can give life to?

  19. guys, i am (eritrean american), ethiopian
    my brothers don’t be fool. i live in america over 20 years. the street of america is a war zoon. arm yourself,and shoot.
    before you become a a victum.
    the street is no joke.
    you slip, you are out. one mistake, you done.

    your eritrean brother.

  20. MY CONDOLENCE TO THE FAMILY, FRIENDS AND ETHIOPIAN COMMUNITY IN ATLANTA. MAY GOD GIVE BEYENE THE ETERNAL PEACE.

    MY FELLOW HARD WORKING ETHIOPIANS PLEASE TAKE YOUR SAFETY SERIOUSLY. YOUR LIFE IS WORTHY THAN BILLION DOLLARS.

  21. How sad! The serveillance camera was NOT running??? He had no protection at all, the killers will get away with murder.

    He was a film producer and working hard to supplement his income, because several people in our community buy cheap pirated DVD and CD helping community sharks on their daily robbery of the artist’s creative work, forcing them to take risky jobs to suplment for their lost income.

    STOP BUYING PIRATED FILMS AND MUSIC!!!

    Jagama Beyene was NOT killed by robbers, he was killed trying to supplement the income he loses for community store owner sharks. American film producers’ hard work is protected by law and Ethiopian creative art work is NOT protected. Robbers live to rob, I do not blame robbers in this case, I blame community store owners robbing our artists forcing them to seek extra income to support themselves. Creative citizens do not come everyday, they are few and far in between.

    My condolence to Jagama’s family and friends.

    RIP

  22. R.I.P Jack Wizzy – You are in a better place. Romans 8:28-30
    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

  24. I have worked with many Indian business owners and I doubt the surveillance camera was not running, its very unlikely for gas station owners to leave their store for clerks without any monitoring, there is something the business owners trying to hide, maybe she sells illegitimate stuffs there, she might have slot machines illegal in Georgia to let people gamble with it or she is trying to avoid reprisal from the robbers’ friends. How can she describe how the victim opened the screen glass window, got shot and them jumping in and taking the register tray out, she described the incidence almost as if she was there and then she say the camera was not running, this is very strange and Ethiopian Review, as an advocate of our community should press this very fishy thing going on, losing a friend is one thing and then letting them get away with it would be a shame.

  25. Is America one of the safest places to live in comfortably and to raise one’s own children happily? Is there any other better place than this great nation, America? If there were indeed a better place than America, I could have been the first person to leave this country and move to that place where there are no street gangs, no robbery, no shooting, and no killing. The fact is, however, there is no such safer or better place than America in this world of ours.

    According to the police report, the Citgo Glenwood Food Mart in Atlanta was hit by several bullets and left with many broken glasses. These bullets that shattered the Food Mart glasses had also shuttered that precious human body of a young Ethiopian man who had come to this country to be somebody by working as a movie producer and as a store clerk. He could have been one of the richest or the famous persons in America if it had not been for those bullets that shuttered his dreams and terminated his earthly life in this country, where the law of this land allows almost every person to carry guns and roam a city any time, day time or night time. It is vey scarey!

    If America had implemented the gun-control law and executed it properly, our young brother, Jagama Beyne, could be alive today; unfortunately, he is not with us any more: the three robbers had shot him in his stomach to death, and they ran away with all the money they had stolen from Jagama Beyene.

    I absolutely agree with Kour, one of the eyewitnesses, that such “killing was senseless” because if the motive of the killing of an innocent man was money, why didn’t the robbers take the money and leave the man alone? Was it because he was a foreigner that they killed him after they robbed him and ran away with his hard-earned money? Were they scared that, if they didn’t kill him, he would follow them, kill them, and then recover his money if not on that same day but at least on another day?

    I’m sure, they would be caught and be brought to justice and face severe penalty for what they had done. They could not hide forever; in fact, one of the eyewitnesses had identified what kind of car they drove – a burgundy pick-up truck. As soon as this car is found, the police could easily identify them, catch them, lock them in jail, and finally bring them to face justice to its fullest.

    In this world, some departed souls are remembered by what they had left behind; in this case, our brother Jagama, or Jack Wizzy, a 26-year-old young Ethiopian, had left us something to remember him, and that something is his new documentary film, “Habeshan Filega” (in search of a Habeshan friend). It is sad he died before he could meet that Habeshan friend he was searching for. He is now in heaven with a best friend – Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ loves all of us: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

    May the Almighty God bless his soul in heaven and comfort his family and friends on this earth!

  26. What a dangerous world.Taking someone’s life for just little money.Its a tragedy.
    May God rest your soul in peace.My heart and my prayers go out to his family and loved ones.

  28. my brother Jagama may the lord of creation except you with his forgiving n grecious hands of his n give you an ever lasting unparishible confort of peace n i hope and pray for your soul may the prayers of the blessed dingl mariam and the prayers of the prophets 4man kind help you take resedenc in the kingdom of heaven with everlasting peace n ucomprehendable love of egziabhear be with you for ever more…you are in a better place my brother there is no doubt about that!! may all ethiopians reliz and learn frm our brother this life of ours is so short n has no sebtance of purpose except to follow our redimr the lord our saviour for he is in charge of us all after death!! guys read the scriptures for wisdom n understanding of our lord…wendimee egziabher kantee gar neeww…in the name of th father the son and the menfeskidus ahidu amlak!!!

  29. It is very sand news to hear about this young man.
    The children of the Devil killed our brother and they destroyed his excellent dreams, and they carried out their father’s desire, he is a thief.

    Today, in our word, murder, hatred, and jealousy are continuous on the because of the killer Satan. The spirit of evil and the spirit of the darkness

    I pray to his family, now may the Lord of peace be with you at all the time and again take care of yourselves and Jesus Christ will be with.

    TO: All Ethiopians be careful when you are working at the night from 1 am to 3 am it is very dangers time.
    I used to work with one Kenyan man at day time then his manager told him to work at the night then he worked few days but finally, he scared and he work at day time. And I advised to him not to work at the night, and he did.
    I understand sometimes we do not have any choice.
    Finally, please watch out, do not trust any body. I have a lot of friends but, I do not trust them at all and my friends are all of them professionals but still, I watch out.

    God bless you all
    Dr. XX from U.S.A

  30. Beyene was an ambitious person trying to reach his goal, he worked nights to support him self while pursuing his true passion as a film maker.However, he is not the only Ethiopian gunned down under such circumstances. I personally know an Ethiopian friend, a family man who lost his life under very similar circumstances in 2007. We’re all grateful for the opportunities accorded to us but also be aware of the fact that we live in America and that such things happen all the time

  34. What a senseless crime, why people do such evil thing? These people not only destroy one life, but also shuttered many, many hearths. I don’t have any word to describe how painful this will be for his family, friends and people knows him around. He was a young man with so many promises. RIP man, your life cut very short by these barbarians.

  36. jack i dont have words to say about you!i know jack your in heaven let ST Mary bless you your soul. i couldnt sleep and i cant work.you hurt us and my heart is bleeding i miss your smile.i am proud of you.your brave!!!your bleeding my heart …ETC jack jakaye i miss your joke!jakaye pray for all us!God bless your soul i will see you when God call me. jack in heaven b/s all his time he was doing the right thing helping people he is in heaven iknow his in heaven i will miss you jakaye your sister!ST Gabriel bless your soul amen

  37. ethiopian hero jayeee where are you my brother!jakyee everybody is loves you respect you i coudlnt control my tears.this is not true yene konjo!i saw you in my dream you say dont cry i am in heaven !!i will miss you with all my family !!love you friend

  38. even if i dont know him it is a sad story and i feel really sorry for him, his family,and friends the only reason he came to america was to make his dream come true but instead his life was taken away because of money… aye tekure derome le genzebe ye sewe hiwote yewesedalu keza behuwala yenoralu!!!!!!!!! omg thats just wrong but let jagama rest in peace for ever

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