Colorado Muslim Society in mourning after death of Aurora man killed in parking lot while trying to sell shoes
Every night during the 30 days of Ramadan, the Boris Shamanov Mosque in the Crescent View Academy School in Aurora holds a voluntary prayer for the community. That's what 23-year-old Yousef El Naffar was doing on Tuesday night.
"He had just finished performing the nightly prayer during the month of Ramadan. And, what happened was a tragedy and we all can't even think that this happened to this minute yet," said family friend Mohammed Alabssi.
After prayer, police say Yousef met up with 19-year-old Kevin Hernandez-Gonzalez and 19-year-old Isaac Delacruz in a parking lot nearby to sell them some high end shoes he had posted for sale online.
"He has had a hobby ever since he was in high school. He would buy things like expensive tennis shoes and he would resell them. He didn't quite need this job because he had another job. And, you know, he's already graduated and he's making money, but it was just a hobby that he loved to do," said Colorado Muslim Society spokesperson Issa Ashour.
That's when police believe Hernandez-Gonzalez and Delacruz shot and killed El Naffar.
"It has actually been a very trying experience for everyone, especially the youth, especially where this incident happened outside of a school and amongst all the friends of the victim," said Ashour.
Yousef was a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Denver. He was working at Western Union in IT and going to the University of Denver to get his Masters degree.
His father, Jamal El Naffar, was too emotional to talk to media on Friday but in the first appearance hearing for Hernandez-Gonzalez, Jamal asked the judge to give the suspect a $1 million bond for fear that he might flee. The judge agreed and granted that request. Delacruz hasn't been in front of a judge yet.
Family and friends say this is a huge loss, but they are glad the suspects are in custody.
"The Muslim community at large is actually very concerned. And, in a in a state of shock right now," said Ashour. "We're really hoping that they, get their day in court and that we see the just punishment, for these perpetrators."
