SAN ANTONIO — Ouaes Jamali moved to San Antonio more than 20 years ago, and met Muhammad Pazir and his family. Jamali is now mourning the loss of the man he considered a close friend.
“He had this warm smile. He would always greet me as like my brother,” said Ouaes Jamali.
San Antonio police arrested a 13-year-old boy who they say shot and killed 65-year-old Muhammad Pazir during an attempted carjacking Saturday afternoon.
The shooting occurred just before 3 p.m. at the Walmart Super Center in the 12600 block of Blanco Road.
“It’s something you never expect to hear from somebody you know so well and somebody you love so well,” said Jamali, who knew Pazir for 22 years and remembers him as a compassionate, faithful man who raised three children. “He’d always ask about the family, the kids, how I was doing. He was a compassion man. He was the kind of person who built a community.”
Sakib Shaikh, who’s running for District 8 San Antonio City Council, said Pazir’s death is especially tough to grapple with during the holy month of Ramadan.
“If you go to the mosque, you’ll see Muhammad there,” Shaikh said. “It’s bittersweet that (this) happened during Ramadan because there’ll be more people that are going to be out and thinking about him praying for him. It’s also more sad because he won’t get to finish out the month with us.”
The teen, who had an active warrant, is now locked up and faces a capital murder charge along with a slew of other charges, including felony evading and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
“I just hope his family finds some peace and justice,” Jamali said.