Truck driver shot and killed in northwest Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — Saad Dine Riha, a truck driver, was meeting his wife at a rest stop on the northwest side of Indianapolis Friday evening when he was shot and killed. Riha, 32, was driving a semi trailer and had stopped by Indianapolis where his in-laws live, according to Imam Ahmed Alamine, director of the Indianapolis Muslim Community Association.

Alamine said Riha's wife had cooked him food and they were sitting inside her car to eat when Riha got a call from his father. He stepped outside to take the call and while on the phone, he was shot. Riha's wife got out of the car after hearing the shots and found him dead.

Indianapolis police officers arrived after reports of a person shot on the 6800 block of Shore Terrace just after 8:30 p.m. What led to the shooting and possible suspects have not been released yet.

Community in shock

Alamine said he did not know Riha personally, but after the shooting, he met and talked with Riha's friends and family. He said Riha, who was originally from Mauritania, was well known in Indy's Mauritanian community.

Alamine visited Riha's in-laws, whom he said the community had come to support "in masses." Many of those gathered in mourning told him that Riha had lent them money or connected them with resources in the area.

"He touched almost every one of them in an individual way," Alamine said. "... He was the backbone for a lot of foreigners who come here, the refugees."

In addition to his in-laws, Riha has a brother in Indianapolis. Alamine said Riha and his wife have a two-month-old daughter as well. The rest of his family is in Mauritania.

"The community is in shock," Alamine said. "They don't know what to do at this point. Everybody's asking these questions, and I'm trying to do my best to answer these questions, but it's still... it's a shock. It's a shock."

Responding to gun violence

After preparing prayers and making sure Riha's burial goes smoothly, Alamine said his next steps will be to have serious conversations in the community and with city officials to help prevent gun violence.

"I just want to take this opportunity to encourage the Muslim community to be more involved civically and make sure we have our say and our voice when it comes to gun violence," Alamine said.

Alamine said Riha's death affects not only his close friends and family, but the wider Muslim community as well. He urged the community to cooperate with law enforcement to protect their safety, especially if they witness a crime.

Funeral prayers for Riha were held at Masjid Al-Fajr, a mosque on the northwest side of Indy, on Monday. He will be buried in Mauritania.

"To the entire Indianapolis community, please make sure that you do the right thing, because this is a family member who was lost," Alamine said. "Some of his family members are refugees or came here for a better life. Now, not only did they not get the better life, but they lost a life."

Yasmeen Saadi is a Pulliam Fellow, primarily covering breaking news and crime. You can email her at YSaadi@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Truck driver shot and killed in northwest Indy