Road rage, hate crime or both: Shooting death of Muslim man could draw FBI scrutiny
Vic Ryckaert and Crystal Hill, Indianapolis Star Published 2:44 p.m. ET Feb. 20, 2019
An incident that was initially reported as a fatal road rage shooting has shined an even brighter light on potential hate crime legislation in Indiana.
Mustafa Ayoubi, a Carmel native and Indiana University graduate, was killed Saturday. His friends say it was because of his Muslim faith.
Witnesses told investigators that Dustin Passarelli, 33, yelled slurs about Islam just moments before he shot Ayoubi to death in an apartment complex parking lot.
At least two shots struck Ayoubi, 32, in the back, court records said.
The man yelled: "You are followers of Muhammad," and "Muhammad is a pedophile," Usman Ashraf, a friend of Ayoubi who witnessed the shooting, told IndyStar.
This incident comes as Indiana lawmakers debate a new hate crimes law. Indiana is one of a handful of states without such a law.
This shooting has drawn the attention of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington D.C.-based Muslim civil rights group that has called for federal law enforcement authorities to take over the case and bring charges against the man accused in Ayoubi's death.
Passarelli has not been formally charged with a crime. He is currently being held in the Marion County Jail while prosecutors weigh the evidence and decide their next steps.
more:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2019/02/20/road-rage-hate-crime-both-fbi-evaluate-west-side-indianapolis-shooting-muslim-man/2915913002/
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