Muslim taxi driver shot on Thanksgiving in back by customer after conversation about ISIS

[kpete]

“He started the conversation and began to ask questions like, ‘You seem to be like a Pakistani guy. Are you from Pakistan?’ ” the driver said in an interview from his bed at UPMC Mercy, where he is being treated for a bullet wound in the upper back. “And I said, ‘No, I’m from Morocco. But I’m an American guy.’

“Then he continued the conversation. He began to speak about ISIS killing people. I told him ‘Actually, I’m against ISIS. I don’t like them.’ I even told him that they are killing innocent people. I noticed that he changed his tone and he began to satirize Muhammad, my prophet, and began to shift to his personal life. He mentioned that he has two kids and was in prison for some time.

“So it was this kind of stuff until we got to his destination. He asked me to wait for a little bit because he forgot his wallet in the house. I waited for just five minutes, I think, and I noticed that he came out of the house carrying a rifle in his hand. I noticed him coming toward me. I didn’t hesitate. I (made] a fast decision to leave and drove my taxi away because I felt he was going to do something. There is danger. He would shoot me or something. I felt like he had the intention to kill me.”

The driver said that as he sped away he heard a couple of gunshots, one of which blasted out the back window of his cab and struck him. The incident occurred between Flowers Avenue and Tecumseh Street, and he was able to drive a couple of blocks further to Mansion Street, he said, where he had to pull over. He then waved down a passing car and got someone to call the police.



MORE:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/11/29/Muslim-taxi-driver-shot-on-Thanksgiving-in-Pittsburgh-calls-attack-a-hate-crime/stories/201511290154

[Marrah_G]

1. This is one of those stories that just leaves me speechless

and very nervous about where our country is headed.

[RKP5637]

2. Wackos feel emboldened by some of the reckless politicians we have. n/t

[Marrah_G]

3. I think rw hate radio has much to do with it

Which is terrifying considering the effect it had in Rwanda.

[RKP5637]

12. It absolutely does. In fact, it's very difficult to find many talk shows that are not filled

with hatred. Some of the things they say are so outrageous I really can't understand any reasonably sane and intelligent person believing what they say. Basically, much like war, there is big money in hatred. Some humans are often such pathetic little things.

[raccoon]

7. Ding, ding, ding! We have a winnah! nt

[asjr]

10. Reckless indeed! I think every Republican

running for the presidency has uttered something against our country. In this case the man who asked to be able to go into his house for money and came back with a rifle belongs in prison so he will not be able to kill.

[longship]

17. Wackos gotta wack! It's what they do.

That is why they need so many guns.

Wack! Wack! Wack!

It is the wacko thing to do. What is a wacko to do when they only know WACKA-WACKA-WACKA-WACKA! (Bullets flying)

[RKP5637]

26. So sad. I do think many of them fantasize what goes on in the ME as a fun thing. Pathetic. n/t

[Still In Wisconsin]

42. ...and the gun manufacturers just sit back and count their money as the bodies drop. n/t

[d_legendary1]

62. Mostly cuz legislators won't legislate their trade

thanks to their mouth piece, the NRA.

[Still In Wisconsin]

72. I agree. I have come to see the NRA as

basically a business/corporate lobbying group. They profit greatly from the sale of an unsafe product. They are not so different from the big tobbacco lobbyists back in the 1970s and 1980s who insisted that cigarettes didn't cause cancer.

[Mojorabbit]

66. We have always had firearms.

I want to know why things have changed since I was a kid. People were not like this back then. We did not have people shooting up the place like this years ago. Is it overcrowding? Exposure to chemicals? Culture?

[longship]

67. Alien implants?

Who knows. If I had to guess wildly, I suspect the ascendency of the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition beginning in the late 70's. That is when we took a fairly hard right turn.

Elimination of protections did the rest, I suspect. (E.G., equal time provisions, etc.)

[Still In Wisconsin]

41. They absolutely do.

Whacko politicians and whackos on AM hate radio. If the frontrunner for the Republican nomination can call for a protester to get his ass kicked at a political rally, then we've normalized this kind of violence in general society. It becomes permissible to take someone out for being Muslim, or liberal, or gay, or...on and on and on.

[malaise]

69. And the media n/t

[peacebird]

4. It should be pretty easy for the cops to arrest the perp in this case... Charge him with hate crime

And attempted murder.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Huh?

He shoots a guy for NOT liking ISIS? He goes into the house to get a rifle? Just, huh?

[CanonRay]

9. He wanted to shoot a Muslim. He didn't need a reason.

Another good guy with a gun.

[Dustlawyer]

14. Actually a bad guy with a gun, which means the gun nuts should not have a problem

with this Muslim getting his own gun, right?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. Good subject matter for a graphic. nt

[CanonRay]

32. I wish a movement would start among black men to get concealed carry permits

en masse, well publicized, even if they never actually buy a gun. White people would shit their pants and we'd have gun laws in a heartbeat.

[Eleanors38]

39. Mr. Canon: Google pictures Huey P. Newton Gun Club...

You are late to the party. And no, we didn't get "laws in a heartbeat."

[2naSalit]

61. More like ending up with

something even worse than we have right now, daily shootouts and ambushes.

[ProfessorGAC]

48. I Think He Was Looking To Shoot Pretty Much Anybody

This guy was just a convenient target. He's a sociopath and belongs in jail.

[w0nderer]

23. By going to fetch the weapon

doesn't he show 'planning'
as in attempted pre meditated murder (murder 1)
?

[ProfessorGAC]

46. OK by Me!

It is certainly more that reckless behavior. It's clearly attempted murder.

[GoneFishin]

6. Who are the real terrorists?

[valerief]

34. Stupid American terrorists fueled by hate radio and hate pols. They're Spawn of Hate Talk. nt

[appalachiablue]

40. +10. FOX/GOP Hate Media should be abolished, look what it's created in 20 years.

Horrible story of Pgh bigot wanting to kill Muslims, for shame-

[tk2kewl]

8. and wtf is up with this?

"Pittsburgh police released a statement with some details of the shooting but they have not determined whether the incident was motivated by the driver’s race or religion."

[RKP5637]

13. Cops often aren't on the top rung for smarts. And some likely agree with him. Pathetic. n/t

[lastlib]

30. This is why we don't let policemen play with subatomic particles.......

It takes about two functioning neurons and firing synapses to determine that, yes, this WAS motivated by the drivers' religion! Dumbasses.....!

1. Place palm-sized rock in right hand.
2. Apply rock to forehead (swiftly).
3. Repeat in loudest possible voice, "STOOPID!"
4. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[951-Riverside]

11. I don't care about his story

I just want the bastard who did this caught.

What does the guy look like?

Why hasn't anyone released a description?

The driver said he has been driving a cab with Cranberry Taxi Service for a month and the vehicle was equipped with a video recorder. Police did not say if they have reviewed any video and a spokesperson for Cranberry Taxi Service could not be reached.

What the hell? Seems to me the Police is really dragging their feet here

He asked me to wait for a little bit because he forgot his wallet in the house. I waited for just five minutes, I think, and I noticed that he came out of the house carrying a rifle in his hand. I noticed him coming toward me

What is the address to the house where he got the rifle from?

Have they talked to the occupants?

Do the occupants know who the shooter is?

I bet if a Muslim man did this to a White christian cabbie we'd have all this information in a matter of hours and a matter of minutes if this guy shot up a police car.

[PatSeg]

53. That's what is really bothering me

about this story. They have the guy's address and presumably video as well. Why has there been no arrest or warrant to search the house?

[tk2kewl]

63. boggles the mind

[sinkingfeeling]

15. Another awful story in what is becoming an awful country to live in.

[Person 2713]

21. agree. This is horrible but reflects unfortunately the mix of misplaced hate and gun availability IMO

[valerief]

47. This is what the .01% buys. They buy pols to spew and legislate hate. They buy

media to relentlessly drum out the hate talk. They buy both pols and media to celebrate killing machines (arms). They buy pols to legislate the dismemberment of civil protections, like education and rights to assemble. They buy pulpit mouths to spew hate and fear. Everything is going as planned.

[onecaliberal]

16. How did this guy, who previously spent time in prison, get a gun?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. A gun show, probably. nt

[Lee-Lee]

71. Probably not, most studies say

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150916162916.htm

[Tarc]

24. Because he was

a, White
b, Hetero
c, Male

The more of those one hits, the easier the path is to many things.

[onecaliberal]

25. So it seems.

[Eleanors38]

49. News to the killers in many minority neighborhoods.

How do they get their guns?

Please reference the Pink Pistols.

Please see rapidly-rising rates of female gun ownership.



Most stereotypes are quite easy to puncture.

[FrodosPet]

75. Well, two out of three

The suspect is a male, probably hetro (but we don't know as a fact), but not white.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/12/02/Pittsburgh-police-obtain-warrant-for-Hazelwood-man-in-shooting-of-cab-driver-who-claims-it-was-a-hate-crime/stories/201512020221

December 2, 2015 3:43 PM

By Lexi Belculfine / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh police today arrested a taxi passenger who they said shot the cab driver who picked him up at Rivers Casino early Thanksgiving morning.

Anthony L. Mohamed, 26, was arrested at 10:45 a.m. in his Hazelwood home. He faces charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person, court records show.

http://www.post-gazette.com/image/2015/12/02/ca20,0,2448,2428/AnthonyMohamed.jpg

The taxi driver, a 38-year-old Moroccan immigrant who requested anonymity out of fear for his safety, and leaders of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh described the shooting as a hate crime to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. At a press conference at Pittsburgh police headquarters this afternoon, police would not comment on whether the shooting was a hate crime, citing an ongoing investigation.

~ snip ~

[Eleanors38]

43. Probably stolen. Most prohibitions are easy to evade.

The key is to find & prosecute the punk.

In the meantime, we should speak out against the hate mongers. The Democratic Party is mostly cowed. The MSM is "he said/she said," and cowed. Same with abortion rights

It is us or nobody.

[valerief]

50. It's his gawd-given right in the Constitution. It's in the cold, dead hands clause.

[jmowreader]

68. Out of the want ads, more than likely

LOTS of guns for sale there, no questions asked.

[Lee-Lee]

70. Most get them from family and friends willing to do a straw purchase or ignore their past

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150916162916.htm

The idea of criminals getting their guns at gun shows or crooked dealers is lately myth, spread by the prohibitionists who don't really want to stop it they just want new laws.

And while straw purchasing is illegal, both it and attempting to buy from a dealer and lying on the form are Federal felonies that are very, very rarely prosecuted, so people keep doing it.

Hell, they didn't even prosecute the girlfriend who did the straw buying for the columbine killers.

[liberalnarb]

18. Un fucking believable

These people are maniacs. This is the consequence of hate and fear.

[onecaliberal]

22. Sadly it's completely believable.

[SHRED]

27. FOX and CNN still looking for a motive

[radhika]

28. He's not arrested for shooting a guy?

That's a crime regardless of motivations. No perp named in the article?

Something else is going on.

[valerief]

52. Probably a Christian white male shooter, so it's okay. nt

[LittleGirl]

29. Just speechless. WTF? eom

[Demit]

33. "sometimes when the evidence is not there and we don’t have the proper witnesses…"

"sometimes when the evidence is not there and we don’t have the proper witnesses, it makes the job [take] a little bit longer than an immediate response, but we will respond, and I think that’s a credit to our police force."

What does that mean? What are "the proper witnesses," as opp. to just witnesses?

Oh gosh, the police will respond—and that's a "credit" to them! What, because they're not usually expected to "respond"?

[Bluenorthwest]

35. The reactions in this thread make me think most of DU is unaware of the large number of bias crimes

that constantly happen in the US. Thousands a year, every year. Most are motivated by racial bias, well over 3,000 a year and 60% of those are crimes against African Americans. Next comes crimes motivated by bias against the victim's sexuality, about 1,500 official FBI cases a year and it's mostly gay men and trans women who get attacked.
Then comes crimes motivated by bias against the victim's religion, about 1,200 a year, and more than 60% of those are against Jewish persons or those thought to be, about 15% toward Muslims and those thought to be. Smatterings of anti Catholic, anti Protestant, but it's Jews then Muslims basically.

The point of my post is that this is not a new thing, it is a constant in US society. The real question is why have you all been so sanguine about these crimes until now?

[druidity33]

64. "you all"? C'mon Blue...

a lot of us have been upset about stuff like this (and speaking out, marching, writing letters, etc) for a long time. You're right. Injustice is HERE and has been. When people here appear so shocked, i think it's because it's something so blatant it's hard to believe it went unanswered. No need to denigrate.

[treestar]

73. Every time you post, it's to lecture

DU - once again, you do not care about this victim at all, and are using this to chide other DUers.

[greenman3610]

36. obviously the shooter was standing his ground

[MrMickeysMom]

37. This is my MSA... where racism can be found-a-plenty...

Just look for the knuckle dragging listeners of hate speech, and the stalkers of persons from other cultures being marginalized by the Republican candidates.

The sound of IQs dropping is no less deafening here in SW PA, mostly directed all this time by the Scaife newspapers.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

38. Hey, that Muslin was armed with a taxi!

Could have held a bomb, or lots of guns, or weapons of mass distraction or worstest, an IUD! We should be cheering the shooter for making Muricca safe for Murricans.

[neohippie]

45. Three days after and no arrest

Wait so this happened on Thanksgiving day, at the address of the shooter or at least where he stores a rifle and there has been no arrest? The Police will respond eh? unless they sympathize with the shooter?

[prouddemfromaustin44]

51. Scumbag bigot. Lock him up for life

It's thanks to Faux News and the RW media that so many people in this country feel empowered to do this crap. Makes me ill...

[SwankyXomb]

54. Just another law abiding

white Christ-stian terrorist with a gun.

[FrodosPet]

76. White people do a lot of effed up stuff

Not this time, though.

[leftynyc]

55. Why is there no arrest?

They know where the scum lives and I'm sure the driver has given a detailed description of the scum. What's the freeking hold up?

[leftynyc]

58. I'd arrest whoever is in that house

They let an ex-con get hold of one of their guns (going with the argument it wasn't his house). How about a blanket BOLO for this scumbag?

[Rex]

57. Another RWing terrorist shoots an innocent American trying to do his job.

When will someone hold the RIGHT WING responsible for all these acts of domestic terrorism?

[Daniel537]

59. Well what the hell did you expect?

When you've got the media and "mainstream" politicians, including some self-professed liberal Democrats, ginning up xenophobia against Muslims this type of shit is going to happen. I only fear that the worst is yet to come.

[Bucky]

60. The only thing that can stop a bad Christian with a gun is a good Muslim with a gun

If this taxi driver had just had the wits to gun down this crazed terrorist first, I'm sure he'd be a hero celebrated on Fox News and at Donald Trump rallies for the foreseeable future

[Solly Mack]

65. Damn

[HuckleB]

74. Logically, it's time for taxi drivers with brown skin to ignore white male calls for a ride.

No?

[marmar]

77. I see what you did.

[FrodosPet]

78. Sure! Sounds like a plan

More business for me!

BTW the suspect is named Anthony L. Mohamed

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/12/02/Pittsburgh-police-obtain-warrant-for-Hazelwood-man-in-shooting-of-cab-driver-who-claims-it-was-a-hate-crime/stories/201512020221