Bangladeshi student shot dead in US
A Bangladeshi youth was shot dead during an early morning robbery at a filling station in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Mizanur Rahman, 30, of Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj. He was studying for his MBA in the US and was working as a station attendant.
The shooting occurred around 3:30am when a man entered the Chevron Gas Station at the intersection of Vermont St and Los Feliz and purchased an item, according to LAPD Detective Meghan Aguilar, reports Los Angeles Times.
The man later returned to the counter, pulled out a handgun and demanded money, she said.
“The clerk [Mizanur Rahman] was cooperating when the man shot him,” Aguilar said. The gunman then reached over the counter and grabbed the entire cash drawer and ran, she said.
The suspect fled in a light-coloured car. The wounded man was able to call 911 and was rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries.
The filling station remained closed for much of the day Tuesday as detectives and crime scene technicians combed the scene for clues. Forensic experts were also preparing to examine video from 32 surveillance cameras around the venue.
Retired school teacher Abdur Rafiq, father of Mizanur, said his son's dream was to get a US degree, return home in December this year and live a good life.
“I cannot believe he is no more …,” he told The Daily Star in tears over phone.
All through his school and college life, Mizanur has showed excellence. He won government scholarships in class-V and -VIII and scored GPA-5 in SSC and HSC exams.
After completing his BBA from the East West University in Dhaka, he went to the US with a scholarship in 2014 for his MBA.
Co-workers said Mizanur worked night shifts to earn a livelihood and put himself through graduate school, LA Times reported.
“It is shocking,” said Benoit Hecquet, who lives near the Chevron filling station.
“He was always polite, talkative. He even asked about how my son was doing,” said Hecquet, who said he would sometimes buy cigarettes at the station.
"I am heartbroken," Mizanur's co-worker Carlos Francisco said.
"He was a dreamer. He worked by night and studied by day to make himself better."
Abdur Rafiq, who also has a daughter, said Mizanur's mother has not yet been told about the incident.
“We want justice. We want his body back home soon,” he said.
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