Gun violence in Indianapolis: Community leaders call for 72-hour ceasefire
Indianapolis is just one murder away from breaking the 2020 murder record. Community leaders met Wednesday afternoon and called for a ceasefire.
Grace Hollars, Indianapolis Star
INDIANAPOLIS — Saad Dine Riha, a truck driver, was meeting his wife at a rest stop in northwest Indianapolis on Friday night when he was shot. Riha, 32, was driving a semi-truck and had stopped in Indianapolis, where his in-laws live, according to Imam Ahmed Alamine, director of the Indianapolis Muslim Community Association.
Alamine said Riha’s wife cooked him food and they were sitting in their car when Riha received a call from his father. He went outside to answer the call and while he was on the phone, he was shot. Riha’s wife got out of the car after hearing the shots and found him dead.
Indianapolis police officers arrived shortly after 8:30 p.m. after a report that a person had been shot in the 6800 block of Shore Terrace. What led up to the shooting and possible suspects have not been released.
Community in shock
Alamine said he did not know Riha personally, but met and spoke with Riha’s friends and family after the shooting. He said Riha, who was originally from Mauritania, was well known in Indy’s Mauritanian community.
Alamine visited Riha’s in-laws, who he said had received support from the community “in droves.” Many of the mourners told him that Riha had lent them money or put them in touch with resources in the area.
“He touched almost every one of them in an individual way,” Alamine said. “… He was the backbone for many foreigners who come here, the refugees.”
In addition to his in-laws, Riha has a brother in Indianapolis. Alamine said Riha and his wife also have a two-month-old daughter. The rest of his family lives in Mauritania.
“The community is in shock,” Alamine said. “They don’t know what to do. Everyone is asking these questions and I’m trying my best to answer them, but it’s still… it’s a shock. It’s a shock.”
Response to gun violence
After preparing prayers and ensuring Riha’s funeral goes smoothly, Alamine said his next steps would be to have serious conversations in the community and with city officials to help prevent gun violence.
“I want to use this opportunity to encourage the Muslim community to become more civically engaged and make sure we have our voice and opinion when it comes to gun violence,” Alamine said.
Alamine said Riha’s death not only affects his close friends and family, but also the entire Muslim community. He urged the community to cooperate with law enforcement to protect their safety, especially if they witness a crime.
A funeral prayer for Riha was held on Monday at Masjid Al-Fajr, a mosque in northwest Indy. He will be buried in Mauritania.
“To the entire Indianapolis community, please make sure you do the right thing because this is a family member that was lost,” Alamine said. “Some of his family members are refugees or came here to have a better life. Now, not only did they not get a better life, they lost a life.”
Yasmeen Saadi is a Pulliam Fellow who primarily covers breaking news and crime. She can be reached at [email protected].
