In 48 hours, from Saturday night to Monday night, five people were killed across the District: Davon Paul Gray, Jawan Parker, Eric Kearney, Antonio Headspeth and Mohammed Muktar Abduselam.
Looking back at those deaths, the Washington Post includes this short profile of Abdusalem, killed Monday night in what police say was a robbery attempt at the gas station where he worked:
Abduselam came to the United States from Ethiopia in 2007, according to his cousin Amir Ousman, who lives in Virginia. Abduselam lived with an older brother in Northeast and had relatives throughout the region.
He was known as the quiet member of the family, was not married and had no children, Ousman said. He worked daily at the store; when he wasn’t at work, he was usually home.A practicing Muslim, Abduselam attended Friday prayers at the First Hijrah Foundation on Georgia Avenue NW in Petworth. On Wednesday, family members were busy arranging a Thursday funeral so he could be buried as soon as possible, per Muslim custom.
Along busy Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, pedestrians slowed as they passed yellow tape that cordoned off the gas pumps and store. A large, colorful wall mural depicting President Obama and King under the words “Yes We Can And We Did” was visible across the street.
