Police looking into if religion led to Muslim man’s shooting death in Miami Gardens

Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Charles Rabin, Grethel Aguila
·2 min read
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Ahmed Elraiah Ahmed Ali had arrived in Miami less than a week before he was shot and killed late Tuesday night at a gas station in Miami Gardens, police said.

His life was cut short by a pair of shotgun blasts to the arm and the back while he stood just outside the entrance to a RaceWay gas station at Northwest Seventh Avenue and 183rd Street just before midnight. Police had not identified the shooter by early Wednesday afternoon and were studying “grainy” surveillance video to try and determine if Ahmed Ali, 32, was singled out, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“It’s too early right now,” said Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt. “We just don’t know. Was he targeted? We don’t know.”

Though there was no indication that Ahmed Ali’s death was in any way related to his religion, word of his death spread quickly through social media. The posts indicated he was a practicing Muslim.

His Facebook profile, which is under the name Ahmed Elraiah, says he’s originally from Khartoum, Sudan, and lived in Qatar. Loved ones announced Elraiah’s death in several Facebook posts written in Arabic. A screenshot of a post shared by Elraiah’s younger brother said he moved to the U.S. recently and that services and his funeral would take place at the Sudanese Cultural Center, presumably in Doha, Qatar.

“It was too early for you, my brother. I mourn your death with all my heart,” loved one Adeil ElTigani, who lives in Khartoum, wrote in Arabic on Facebook.

Police on Wednesday said they had very little information on the shooting. They said Ahmed Ali was shot multiple times. WPLG Channel 10 reported that he was visiting a friend who worked inside RaceWay and was killed when he went outside to have a cigarette.

A man was fatally shot late Tuesday night at a gas station in Miami Gardens, Florida, according to reports.
A man was fatally shot late Tuesday night at a gas station in Miami Gardens, Florida, according to reports.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for anonymous tips leading to the arrest of the shooter.

Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call Miami Gardens Police Detective M. Lissade at 305-474-1620. To leave an anonymous tip, call the Miami-Dade & the Florida Keys Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 or visit crimestoppers305.com.

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This story will be updated as more information is available.