The Associated Press
ATLANTA — A man shot to death three relatives from his Ethiopian immigrant family and wounded two others before killing himself this morning, Atlanta police said.
Police spokesman Eric Schwartz said it’s believed all the victims were related.
The gunman, described by a neighbor as a retired immigrant worker who delighted in helping children, was identified as Abdulaziz Ibrahim, 52. Neighbors told media the family was from Ethiopia.
The shootings began about 7 a.m. in a house near Interstate 75 in southwest Atlanta, a residential area with neatly tended homes near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Some neighbors who gathered outside the home sobbed as investigators brought victims’ bodies outside the house to be transported to the coroner.
The bodies of Hana Yusuf, 26, and Luna, no last name given, were found inside the house, Schwartz said.
A fourth victim, Mohmmed Ibrahim, 28, died at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Two others are hospitalized. Police said 3-year-old Amir Abdulhakim was in critical condition at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and Yusuf Ibrahim, 27, was in stable condition at Grady.
A neighbor, Charlene Weiters, said the family moved into the home about 12 years ago from overseas and still spoke broken English.
She said she was at home when the shooting happened but did not hear gunfire.
Weiters said Abdulaziz Ibrahim was a retired manufacturing worker who often played in the yard with his grandson, and helped neighborhood children by giving them school supplies and small toys.
“We think he was sick, he must have been,” she said between sobs. “He was so sweet, he was so sweet he wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
She said Ibrahim’s wife was not at the home at the time. She believed Ibrahim lived in the home with his wife, three children, two nieces and two grandchildren.
2 thoughts on “Four Ethiopians died in Atlanta house shooting”
Very sad story. God bless all them. pls all ethiopians let us save this child life!!
What A tragedy!
This is kind of story never been heard as an Ethiopian character. There is something wrong among ourselves. Let approcach these kind of people when the became sick or depressed. Leaving them alone may triggred to do someting like this. Once a person sick or depressed, it is easy to pull the triger and commit such kind of irreversable tragedy. What happen to this family may be a preventable one if somebody has been approached Abdulaziz. As the story emerged people saying that he has been sick. If that is the case, he should have been watched constantly around the clock. May be leaving him alone had open the opprtunity to do such an evil act.
Dear Ethiopian, please for heavensake, before this kind of tragedy unfold, let help our brohter or sister who really sick and depressed. Let give them any kind help. Ohterwise, this kind of story will be common among ourseves and will be a front page story in North American cities.
Please God give to the family of the dead a strength. God bless all of them.