Above:The tragic death of a young man that sparked outrage
in the Ethiopian community has been ruled a homicide. (File)
Tadias Magazine
News Update
Updated: Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Washington, D.C. (Tadias) – The death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed, who died in October after a physical confrontation with five men associated with DC9 nightclub, has been ruled a homicide by the city’s medical examiner’s office.
“The family wishes to commend those at the Medical Examiner’s office for their hard work and dedication in helping to uncover that Ali’s death was a homicide,” family attorney Billy Martin said in the statement. “The family is confident that law enforcement will continue its investigation into Ali’s tragic death and that the Medical Examiner’s report is a step toward justice for Ali. The Medical Examiner’s findings, however, also reminds us that Ali suffered a cruel and senseless death. Ali did not deserve to die for allegedly breaking a window. The family remains heartbroken and cannot have peace until those responsible for Ali’s death are brought to justice.”
The victim died of “excited delirium associated with arrhythmogenic cardiac anomalies, alcohol intoxication and physical exertion with restraint manner,” the medical examiner’s office said – citing the manner of death as “homicide.” Per WaPo: “Although criminal charges in the case were dismissed because of the initial lack of autopsy findings, authorities said they would not be legally barred from refiling charges if new information warranted such a move. The autopsy finding of homicide appears to make a new criminal case likely.”
However, the U.S. attorney’s office issued the following press release saying the case is still under investigation: “The Medical Examiner has now completed an autopsy related to the unfortunate death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed. The Medical Examiner’s forensics examination has concluded that a variety of factors led to the death of Mr. Mohammed, and we intend to carefully study these conclusions as part of our legal analysis of this tragic incident. Our deliberate and comprehensive factual inquiry continues, and we again express our sincere appreciation to the family of Mr. Mohammed for their patience and understanding as we work to reach a just conclusion to our investigation.”
Ali, who was a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, came to the United States from Ethiopia in 1997. He graduated from Coolidge Senior High School in Washington, D.C. He died on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010 after the five DC9 employees allegedly chased, then tackled and beat him. The incident happened after he was denied entrance to the bar around 2:30 a.m., and after he allegedly returned to throw a brick through the window. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” Washington, D.C’s police chief Cathy Lanier had said at the time.
District prosecutors had initially charged the men with second-degree murder – which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault – but eventually dropped all charges noting insufficient evidence to support the case. “Dropping the charges enabled authorities to continue their investigation and preserved their option to refile charges,” according to The Washington Post. “The death and investigation has prompted intense responses both from supporters of the DC9 employees and from family and friends of Mohammed.”
The employees have said they are innocent.
Watch: Ali Ahmed’s Family Says Death Ruled Homicide
New York (Tadias) – Washington, D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration has voted to reinstate the liquor license for DC9, the nightclub that was shut down following an October incident in which five club employees – including former co-owner William Spieler – were accused of beating a man who died outside the bar. The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license after noting the circumstances of Ali Mohammed’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. The men had allegedly chased Ali then tackled and beat him after he was denied entrance to the bar around 2:30 a.m., and after he allegedly returned to throw a brick through the window. The employees have said they are innocent and prosecutors have dropped all charges, citing insufficient evidence to support the case.
Ali, who was a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, came to the United States from Ethiopia in 1997. He graduated from Coolidge Senior High School in Washington, D.C.
According to Cynthia Simms, spokeswoman for the liquor licensing board, the reopening of DC9 on Dec. 15 is attached to certain conditions. Simms said the decision will be reviewed at another hearing scheduled for January 19, 2011.
Per the The Washington Post: “Among other conditions of DC9’s reopening, the club will not be allowed to employ Spieler of any of the four other men involved in the Oct. 15 incident, Simms said. She said the board’s ruling could be reversed or altered Jan. 19 if more information about Mohammed’s death becomes available. Police and the medical examiner’s office are continuing to investigate the encounter on the street that night and Mohammed’s medical condition and injuries at the time, authorities said. They said they would not be legally barred from refiling criminal charges in the case if new information warranted such a move.”
—
Photographs from Wednesday Dec. 1st, 2010 (Outside the ABRA office) Friends brave rainy day to gather outside 1250 U street. (Photo: Samson Balekier)
Taken on December 1, 2010 at 1250 U street in D.C. Photo by Samson Balekier.
Related: Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Liquor board rejects DC9 reopening
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The owners of District club DC9 lost a bid Wednesday to reopen after members of the District’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration unanimously voted to keep it shuttered in the wake of an October incident in which five club employees were accused of beating a man who died outside the popular nightspot.
District prosecutors dropped charges against the five employees on Nov. 5, saying evidence available at that point did not support the case.
The employees have said they are innocent.
DC9 is on Ninth Street near U Street in Northwest.
Another hearing on the club’s reopening is set for Dec. 1, said alcohol board spokeswoman Cynthia Simms. Read the story at The Washington Post.
Today’s photo: Friends and family stage a rally (Wednesday, November 17, 2010) Friends and family staged another rally on Wednesday morning, Nov 17 outside the hearing.
Photos by Samson Balekier.
—————-
DC9 Poised to Regain Liquor License, Ali’s Friends Prepare to Protest Tadias Magazine
Video and Editorial
Published: Sunday, November 14, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The beating death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed continues to spark outrage and dismay in the Ethiopian American community. The murder charges filed against DC9 nightclub co-owner and four of its employees, which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault, have since been dismissed entirely citing the medical examiner’s determination that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with a brutal beating.
While the liquor license for DC9 was revoked following the incident, the bar has been granted a new hearing before the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, scheduled for Wednesday, November 17 at 9:30 a.m. “That hearing has been set because representatives for DC9 filed a request to the board that it reconsider its Nov. 1 decision to continue the bar’s suspension for at least 30 more days,” TBD reports. “This new hearing doesn’t necessarily supplant the already scheduled Dec. 1 status hearing, but if the Board decides to go ahead and take action on the case on Wednesday, it theoretically could.”
The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license last month after noting the circumstances of Ali’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. According to initial police reports, the young man who worked as a security guard at a local deli, was denied entry to the DC9 nightclub around 2:30 a.m., but he returned to throw a brick through the window. What followed next was described by Lanier as extralegal punishment against the victim. Five men chased Ali— including the club’s owner Bill Spieler and employees Darryl Carter, Reginald Phillips, Evan Preller, and Arthur Zaloga – then tackled and beat him, police said. When officers arrived, all five men were still on the scene and Ali was in critical condition, Lanier said. He was pronounced dead a short time later. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” the police chief had said.
Attorneys for the defendants have been aggressive in their attack of the police version of events, accusing the cops of rushing to judgement. According to the Washington City Paper, during an ABRA hearing earlier this month, “The defense played a radio call placed by the EMTs who picked up Mohammed the night he died. In a call to Howard University hospital, the emergency workers describe Mohammed as being a victim of cardiac arrest, not bludgeoning. They explain that Mohammed has had a “cardiac arrest after a fight.” They also recount that he went unconscious in the presence of police, contradicting the police version of events—which claims Mohammed was dead or very close to it when the first officer arrived on the scene. Throwing the wrench into the credibility of the EMTs, though, is the fact that they refer to the young Mohammed as a ’45-year-old.'”
Meanwhile, Ali’s parents are still awaiting proper explanation of what exactly happened to their son. Friends and family say they plan to stage another rally on Wednesday morning. At a gathering held last week outside the U.S. attorney’s office, the mother, Sashie Bule, who carried a sign bearing her son’s photo is reported by The Washington Post to have stated: “I need answers…I want to know what happened to my son. He didn’t deserve this.” Nunu Waco, Ali’s cousin, told The Washington Post, her family was shocked by the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges. “Our family deserves better,” she said. “American citizens deserve better.”
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. insists the investigation is continuing. “Our work is not done,” Machen said in a statement after all charges were dismissed by his office. “The tragic death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed demands that we undertake a careful and comprehensive investigation to determine precisely how he died. . . . The search for justice cannot be rushed, and we will continue to pursue an active and vigorous inquiry.”
Organizers say Wednesday’s gathering is scheduled near 12th and U street.
In the following video, Tadias TV documents the reactions of Ali’s friends and individuals in the community to the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges.
Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Related News Videos:
Related: Man Died After Beating Outside DC9 Nightclub (WUSA 9)
The owners of District club DC9 lost a bid Wednesday to reopen after members of the District’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration unanimously voted to keep it shuttered in the wake of an October incident in which five club employees were accused of beating a man who died outside the popular nightspot.
District prosecutors dropped charges against the five employees on Nov. 5, saying evidence available at that point did not support the case.
The employees have said they are innocent.
DC9 is on Ninth Street near U Street in Northwest.
Another hearing on the club’s reopening is set for Dec. 1, said alcohol board spokeswoman Cynthia Simms. Read the story at The Washington Post.
Today’s photo: Friends and family stage a rally (Wednesday, November 17, 2010) Friends and family staged another rally on Wednesday morning, Nov 17 outside the hearing.
Photos by Samson Balekier.
—————-
DC9 Poised to Regain Liquor License, Ali’s Friends Prepare to Protest Tadias Magazine
Video and Editorial
Published: Sunday, November 14, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The beating death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed continues to spark outrage and dismay in the Ethiopian American community. The murder charges filed against DC9 nightclub co-owner and four of its employees, which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault, have since been dismissed entirely citing the medical examiner’s determination that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with a brutal beating.
While the liquor license for DC9 was revoked following the incident, the bar has been granted a new hearing before the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, scheduled for Wednesday, November 17 at 9:30 a.m. “That hearing has been set because representatives for DC9 filed a request to the board that it reconsider its Nov. 1 decision to continue the bar’s suspension for at least 30 more days,” TBD reports. “This new hearing doesn’t necessarily supplant the already scheduled Dec. 1 status hearing, but if the Board decides to go ahead and take action on the case on Wednesday, it theoretically could.”
The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license last month after noting the circumstances of Ali’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. According to initial police reports, the young man who worked as a security guard at a local deli, was denied entry to the DC9 nightclub around 2:30 a.m., but he returned to throw a brick through the window. What followed next was described by Lanier as extralegal punishment against the victim. Five men chased Ali— including the club’s owner Bill Spieler and employees Darryl Carter, Reginald Phillips, Evan Preller, and Arthur Zaloga – then tackled and beat him, police said. When officers arrived, all five men were still on the scene and Ali was in critical condition, Lanier said. He was pronounced dead a short time later. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” the police chief had said.
Attorneys for the defendants have been aggressive in their attack of the police version of events, accusing the cops of rushing to judgement. According to the Washington City Paper, during an ABRA hearing earlier this month, “The defense played a radio call placed by the EMTs who picked up Mohammed the night he died. In a call to Howard University hospital, the emergency workers describe Mohammed as being a victim of cardiac arrest, not bludgeoning. They explain that Mohammed has had a “cardiac arrest after a fight.” They also recount that he went unconscious in the presence of police, contradicting the police version of events—which claims Mohammed was dead or very close to it when the first officer arrived on the scene. Throwing the wrench into the credibility of the EMTs, though, is the fact that they refer to the young Mohammed as a ’45-year-old.'”
Meanwhile, Ali’s parents are still awaiting proper explanation of what exactly happened to their son. Friends and family say they plan to stage another rally on Wednesday morning. At a gathering held last week outside the U.S. attorney’s office, the mother, Sashie Bule, who carried a sign bearing her son’s photo is reported by The Washington Post to have stated: “I need answers…I want to know what happened to my son. He didn’t deserve this.” Nunu Waco, Ali’s cousin, told The Washington Post, her family was shocked by the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges. “Our family deserves better,” she said. “American citizens deserve better.”
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. insists the investigation is continuing. “Our work is not done,” Machen said in a statement after all charges were dismissed by his office. “The tragic death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed demands that we undertake a careful and comprehensive investigation to determine precisely how he died. . . . The search for justice cannot be rushed, and we will continue to pursue an active and vigorous inquiry.”
Organizers say Wednesday’s gathering is scheduled near 12th and U street.
In the following video, Tadias TV documents the reactions of Ali’s friends and individuals in the community to the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges.
Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Related News Videos:
Related: Man Died After Beating Outside DC9 Nightclub (WUSA 9)
San Jose, CA (Tadias) – The recently concluded Ethiopian Soccer Tournament in San Jose, California was attended by thousands of Ethiopian-Americans and their families.
The annual event, designed to promote goodwill among the various Ethiopian communities in the United States and Canada, is organized by the Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA), a non-profit organization founded in 1984 to help popularize amateur soccer while celebrating commonly shared traditions.
The week-long gathering, which this year celebrated its 27th anniversary, goes far beyond sports entertainment, allowing families and friends to come together in celebration of their cultural heritage. The festival week is a popular time for networking, alumni gatherings, small business catering, music performances, and reunion parties.
The colorful 2010 tournament at Spartan Stadium showcased 27 teams – along with food vendors, artists, artisans and entrepreneurs, offering items ranging from injera to T-shirts and everything in between.
ESFNA has yet to announce the host city for next year’s tournament. Meanwhile, here are few photos from San Jose.
Above:Team Abay has been described “Built New York Tough”
The group is one of 27 teams taking part at 27th annual Ethio
Soccer Tournament in San Jose, California. (Photo: TsehaiNY)
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Updated: Monday, June 28, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Ethiopians from across the U.S. are gathering in the Bay Area this week for the 2010 Soccer tournament – an event which also doubles as an annual cultural festival for the community.
The California festivities, which opened at San Jose State University’s Spartan Stadium on Sunday, features over 27 teams from various cities in the U.S. and Canada.
The annual gathering – which this year celebrates its 27th anniversary – goes far beyond sports entertainment, allowing families and friends in North America’s Ethiopian immigrant community to come together in celebration of both sports and their cultural heritage. The tournament week is a popular time for networking, alumni gatherings, small business catering, music performances, and reunion parties.
Stay tuned for our usual “Hot Shots” and other events coverage from San Jose.
—
Above: MIT graduates Bef Ayenew (left) and Ephraim Tekle,
have launched a new Iphone application for the 2010 Ethio
Soccer Tournament — scheduled from June 27 to July 3rd.
Tadias Magazine
By Liben Eabisa
Published: Monday, June 21, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The 2010 Ethiopian Soccer Tournament is scheduled to be held in San Jose, California later this month, and two young, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have launched a new I-phone application aptly named ArifQuas to provide soccer enthusiasts with real-time scores and events information. The app includes info such has hotels for stay, parties and other cultural festivals during the tournament. It also features GPS technology, offers listings of most Bay Area Ethiopian restaurants, and is integrated with social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. ArifQuas users can receive real-time info on weather and traffic updates, as well as listings of local attractions including California’s scenic beaches and Napa Valley’s historical wine country.
The following is our recent interview with Bef Ayenew and Ephraim Tekle, developers of the ArifQuas mobile app. Both are graduates of MIT and founders of the company ArifSoft.
Tadias: Could you tell us a bit about your company ArifSoft? What do you guys do?
ArifSoft is a software company that specializes in Ethiopian mobile apps. We’re seeing a clear trend that has more and more desktop apps getting ported to mobile platforms, and ArifSoft is our joint effort to continue that trend within our community. ArifSoft has been around unofficially since last year, but it was formally introduced as the entity behind ArifQuas and ArifZefen only recently.
Tadias: You have a cool name. How do you define “Arif”?
Arif is actually a name that was lifted from our first joint project, ArifZefen. AddisZefen was already taken so we figured we would simply call ours ArifZefen. Since then, we’ve gone into an Arif frenzy and started naming everything after Arif. Our definition of Arif covers anything that can capture your imagination and generate excitement. Arif is Amharic slang for cool and our goal is to build cool apps that will add value while providing people with a superior user experience.
Tadias: Tell us about ArifQuas, your new Iphone application for the 2010 Ethiopian Soccer Tournament in California. How does it work?
ArifQuas is an event app for the upcoming soccer tournament in San Jose. We’ve been at the tournament in the past and we are all too familiar with how chaotic things can be, especially for the out-of-towners. ArifQuas is designed to help people manage the chaos a little better and try to get the most they can out of the tournament. ArifQuas will contain live listings of parties, concerts and any other events happening during the week of the tournament. It will also provide users with listings of all the local Ethiopian restaurants and Shisha lounges in the area so people don’t have to scour the web or other aggregation websites looking for options. For both the events and the restaurants, ArifQuas has GPS support and can tell users how far they are and how to get there on a map. ArifQuas is also going to provide users with updates on the tournament scores, information on the local attractions and the local weather.
Tadias: How are you gathering your information? Are you working with ESFNA or the other event promoters?
ArifQuas is fed the listings from a web service that’s hosted at arifquas.com. A lot of the listings are actually entered by the restaurant owners or the event promoters who want to promote on ArifQuas. There is an approval process before listings go live but aside from that, the entire process is fully automated and requires little involvement from us. We contacted ESFNA well before the app was even approved by Apple so they have been aware of it for some time and the response we have received from them has been very positive. We have asked ESFNA to provide the live score updates for the games and we’re in the process of working out the final details.
Tadias: Do you plan to come out with an Android version or something compatible for other mobile users?
Unfortunately, we’re out of time to do an Android app for this tournament but we do have another project in the pipeline and an Android version of this next app is a definite possibility.
Tadias: Is ArifQuas integrated with social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter?
We do have a facebook presence and in a short two weeks we have reached some 600 people and we can also be found on Twitter.
Interview continues below…
Tadias: The application is free, how are you sustaining your business?
The application is free because we want every Ethiopian with an iphone to get it without any financial considerations. So far we have been trying to cover some of our expenses by charging a fee to the people who are trying to list and advertise their events and restaurants.
Tadias: Please tell us briefly about the two of you? How did you become interested in software development? Where did you guys meet? Where did you grow up , school, work, etc?
Bef Ayenew: Both of us grew up in Addis but we didn’t meet until our sophomore year at MIT. We’ve been very close every since and we’ve worked on a number of software related projects together. I’m a software developer/architect in the valley so you could say working on an iphone app is not really a big departure from what I do during business hours. Ephraim, on the other hand, is a research scientist at a national lab so he has found a convenient outlet for channeling his inner engineer.
Tadias: Tell us about ArifZefen, the other ArifSoft application.
ArifZefen is our first joint project as ArifSoft, and it started out as a website that was supposed to serve as a sharing site for Ethiopian music. Unlike our predecessors, we weren’t interested in being responsible for managing the music content so we built a site where people can upload and manage their songs like they do in youtube. We also wanted people to be able to browse and search the collection and create/manage their own playlists. And of course, we couldn’t let you download the music once it was uploaded because that would amount to piracy so we had to develop a custom segment streaming MP3 player in flash. Later, we skinned the entire website and turned it into something that could be deployed on a new URL within minutes. More recently, we have created an iphone app called ArifZefen that provides access to all these features on the go, and we hope to make that app available to users as soon as we have resolved some of the issues around music copyrights. If you really want to test ride this app, it’s available on a limited basis.
Tadias: Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
Working on ArifQuas has been a lot of fun and we are very encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response we have received from everyone. We’ve had even people not going to the tournament download it and tell us how much they enjoyed it. We are really excited about exploring other opportunities within our community and we are already back working hard on our next project, which we hope will be completed well before the end of the year. If anyone else out there is interested in developing iphone apps, our advice is to grab a mac and start today. There have been many instances of non-developers building iphone apps that went on to become very successful so we want to encourage anyone out there to take a crack at it if they think they have a good idea and the time to work on it.
Tadias: Thank you guys and good luck!
Thank you.
— ArifQuas can be downloaded for free at iTunes app store. You can learn more at www.arifquas.com. Also, for more information on the 2010 Ethiopian Soccer Tournament in San Jose, California, please visit ESFNA.net.
—
About the Author:
Liben Eabisa is Co-Founder & Publisher of Tadias Magazine.
Above:Mourners at Friday’s public memorial service react at
an emotional visual tribute to the Seattle fire victims Friday.
(PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE RINGMAN / SEATTLE TIMES)
Updated: Saturday, June 19, 2010
By Marc Ramirez Seattle Times staff reporter
One by one, the lives lost to last weekend’s fire in Fremont were celebrated on screen, a series of snapshots taken in happier times. The boy who dreamed of playing point guard for the Boston Celtics. The siblings who adored their older brother. The girl who liked to jump rope. And the young woman who could win any argument she set her mind to.
The emotional slide show capped Friday’s public memorial to those five family members at Seattle Center’s KeyArena. The multicultural crowd, estimated at 3,500, largely reflected an East African population united in grief over the loss of so many young lives. “Your sorrow is our sorrow,” said Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. “Your grief is Seattle’s grief. We walk with you in your grief because we are — and will be — one community.” Killed last Saturday morning in the swift-moving fire at Helen Gebregiorgis’ Fremont apartment were three of her children — Joseph Gebregiorgis, 13, Nisreen Shamam, 6, and Yaseen Shamam, 5; her sister, Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, 22; and a niece, 7-year-old Nyella Smith, daughter of a third sister, Yordanos Gebregiorgis.
Watch Video: Memorial service for Seattle fire victims
Nisreen Shamam (left), Yaseen Shamam (C) and Joseph Gebregiorgis.
PHOTO BY JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES
How You Can Help?
Donations to help family members affected by last Saturday’s blaze can be sent to the Seattle Children’s Fire Fund at any Bank of America branch. Donations also are being accepted at the Red Door tavern in Fremont. There will be a booth at this weekend’s Fremont Fair at North 35th Street and Evanston Avenue North to accept cash donations or gift cards from grocery or department stores. There also will be paper and envelopes available to write condolence notes to the family.
Watch Video: Ethiopian community mourns 5 dead in Seattle fire
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Seattle (Tadias) – As investigators continue to look into the cause of this pasts weekend’s apartment fire in Seattle that killed an Ethiopian family, including four children, the city’s fire chief described the frantic seconds after the blaze erupted Saturday morning in Helen Gebregiorgis’ two-story home in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.
Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean told the media Sunday that the city’s deadliest fire in decades started in the living quarters of Helen Gebregiorgis’ three-bedroom, two-story apartment and spread to the second floor. He said the mother had gone upstairs to tell the others about the fire, grabbed her 5-year-old niece, Samarah Smith, and left the building, thinking the others were behind her. “She believed that the rest were following her and when she got outside they were not,” Dean said during a news conference at Fire Department headquarters in Pioneer Square. “We did find the four children and the aunt in the second floor bathroom, huddled together.”
Gebregiorgis, 31, lost her sons, 13-year-old Joseph Gebregiorgis and 5-year-old Yaseen Shamam, and her 6-year-old daughter, Nisreen Shamam, in the fire in the city’s Fremont neighborhood, the children’s grieving uncle, Daniel Gebregiorgis, told The Seattle Times. Also killed were Helen’s 22-year-old sister, Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, and 7-year-old niece, Nyella Smith.
Video: Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean reacts to an apartment fire that killed an Ethiopian family
The fire was reported just after 10 a.m. Saturday morning.
According to Seattle’s King5 News, the first emergency vehicle to arrive at the burning apartment building had a problem with a pump that prevented it from spraying water on the fire, but a second unit arrived two minutes later and was able to fight the fire.
“They needed to be able to control what was in front of them before they could go up the stairs,” the Chief said. “There was definitely a delay in firefighters being able to get there. I think in looking at the pictures and what we saw and listening to comments, there was a tremendous amount of fire and smoke prior to the fire department’s arrival, which, again, makes it pretty hard to sustain life in that type of heated environment,” he said.
Dean said the truck with the mechanical problem arrived at 10:09 a.m., and a second truck about two minutes later, and a third at 10:12 a.m.
According to the fire chief, the department prepares for problems because they happen on a regular basis and this weekend’s particular problem would be investigated.
“We do what we call redundancy back-up to make sure that if something happens, we’re prepared for that type of thing,” he said. “In this case something did happen. The second unit came in, they did what they were supposed to do and we continued to fight the fire.”
“Our firefighters are beating themselves up, you know ‘could I have done more,'” the chief said. “Our hearts go out to the ones that lost their loved ones and we recognize there’s an impact on the community, recognize there’s an impact on our firefighters. We will be doing a follow-up with the community.”
—
Above:The man wanted for the Virginia killings of 27-year
old Seble Tessema and their 3-year-old daughter has been
arrested in NYC.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Saturday, May 1, 2010
New York (Tadias) – New York City police have arrested Simon Bahta Asfeha, the man accused of murdering his girlfriend – 27-year old Seble Tessema – and their 3-year-old daughter, ABC 7 News reports.
Police were responding to reports of domestic disturbance on April 11, 2010 at a high-rise complex in Alexandria’s West End neighborhood in the 300 block of S. Reynolds Street when they found the bodies of the mother and her child, both of whom had been stabbed to death.
Per ABC 7 News: “The U.S. Marshals fugitive task force, which had been hunting Asfeha, described him as a “monster” to the Washington Examiner, saying he had slashed his own daughter’s throat.”
Investigators in Alexandria had initially thought that Asfeha, who had previously been charged with assaulting Tessema, “may have sought refuge in the large Washington, D.C., area Ethiopian community or in a homeless shelter, ” according to America’s Most Wanted TV show.
But Asfeha apparently had run away to New York City, where a witness alerted authorities on his location. He was captured without incident on Thursday night in a coordinated effort between NYPD, the U.S. marshals, and Alexandria police.
Reports say “Asfeha will go through New York’s court system before he ends up back in Alexandria. If he waives his extradition rights, he’ll be back in the commonwealth sooner, authorities said Friday.”
“Everybody’s excited to have him in custody,” said Jody Donaldson, of the Alexandria Police Department. “This was a horrific crime. He’s been on the loose for a couple of weeks now. The [Alexandria police] chief was so grateful for all the work that went into this, with the Marshals Service and NYPD working with our department to make this arrest.”
Above: Simon Bahta Asfeha (R) has been added to America’s
Most Wanted list, intensifying the search to find him for the
killings of Seble Tessema (left) and their 3-year-old daughter.
New York (Tadias) – Police in Alexandria, Virginia, have turned to America’s Most Wanted TV show in an effort to locate Simon Bahta Asfeha, the prime suspect in the grisly murder of his girlfriend – 27-year old Seble Tessema – and their 3-year-old daughter.
According to the suspect’s profile on the crime show’s fugitives list, Asfeha, who has been known to use the name Simon Bahta, “may have sought refuge in the large Washington, D.C., area Ethiopian community or in a homeless shelter.”
Police were respondeding to reports of domestic disturbance on April 11, 2010 at a high-rise complex in Alexandria’s West End neighborhood when they discovered the mother and her child dead, with their throats slashed, according to media reports. “They found two victims deceased on an apartment on the 14th floor. We’re investigating the case as a suspicious death right now,” said Deputy Chief of Alexandria Police Blaine Corle.
Simon Bahta may be driving a 1999 silver Acura with Virginia tags XKS-1522. Anyone with information is asked to call the Hotline at 1-800-CRIME-TV. The show’s website notes that callers can remain anonymous.
—
