Sam's Club shooting: Suspect in Central Florida mosque identified, what we know Friday
An Indian River County Sheriff's deputy shot a man in the parking lot of a Sam's Club on Thursday. The man was wanted in Seminole County in connection with a killing at Husseini Islamic Center, a mosque near Sanford.
The Associated Press has identified the suspect as 38-year-old Ahmed Raslan. Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said the suspect was born in Egypt but spent most of his life living in the U.S.
'He definitely wanted them to shoot him': Deputy shoots man wanted in Seminole County in Sam's Club parking lot in Indian River County
Florida deputies shoot suspect in Sam's Club parking lot: What we know about the man wanted in a killing
The suspect was struck at least three times, and body cam footage of the shooting indicates at least six shots were fired by deputies.
“He definitely wanted them to shoot him,” Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said, when asked during a news conference if it was a case of “suicide by cop.”
What happened at the Indian River County Sam's Club on Thursday?
An Indian River County Sheriff's deputy shot a man, now identified as 38-year-old Ahmed Raslan of Egypt, in the parking lot of a Sam's Club on Thursday. The man was wanted in Seminole County in what Sheriff Eric Flowers described as a "suspicious death" during an afternoon press conference.
Body cam video posted on the sheriff's office YouTube page shows a man exiting a blue Chrysler Town & Country minivan as deputies confront him. The man appears to say something to the deputies, who tell him repeatedly to turn around and put his hands up. He reaches for his waistband and makes what Sheriff Flowers described as a "finger gun" gesture at the deputies. He moves to return toward the vehicle, and sheriff's deputies open fire, striking the man multiple times.
Sheriff Flowers said Rasain was shot multiple times, and body cam video released by the sheriff's office shows multiple shots were fired in rapid succession. No deputies were injured.
Who was the man shot in the Sam's Club parking lot?
Central Florida news outlets have identified the man as 38-year-old Ahmed Raslan of Egypt. Sheriff Lemma said he had lived most of his life in the United States.
Who was the man killed at the Islamic Center in Sanford?
The 59-year-old man found dead at the Husseini Islamic Center was a maintenance worker and refugee from Iraq, Sheriff Lemma said. The man killed at the Islamic Center, who has not yet been identified, was planning to return to Iraq after his father's death.
“He was the heart and soul of this mosque,” said Mahmood Dhalla, president of the Husseini Islamic Center, according to News 6.
Why was the man at the mosque killed?
Law enforcement officials initially described the killing as a confrontation between Raslan and the victim, seeming to imply that the two had an acrimonious relationship.
Late Thursday, News 6 reported that the Seminole County Sheriff's Office had issued a statement saying the man was deranged and that he was "defending Julius Caesar's home" according to social media posts by Raslan. Raslan had posted long, rambling notes to Facebook about his goal of defending the property.
“He felt this was his home, and the property on the inside was Caesar’s property,” Lemma said, according to News 6. “And his intent was to defend that, even at the cost of murder. It looks like our victim in this case, in a very heroic effort, was the first person that actually walked into the establishment at the time.”
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Suspect in Sanford mosque death shot at Vero Sam's Club - what we know Friday
