‘I couldn’t do anything’: Family mourns 12-year-old boy killed in Dania Beach murder-suicide
A 12-year-old boy was shot dead inside a Dania Beach 7-11 convenience store late Thursday night, deputies say. The shooter then turned the gun on himself.
Family identified the victim as Naabigh Sayed Ali. His brother Talaal Ali, 20, told WSVN that he and Naabigh went to the 7-11 to get ice cream.
“...I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “I do not wish this on anyone ever.”
Ali told WSVN that before they went into the store, they noticed the suspect glaring at them and decided to park somewhere else.
“Trust your instincts, trust your sixth sense...” Talaal said. “We should not have taken the chance to even get ice cream then.”
The incident started around 11:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the store, located at the 800 block of Stirling Road, when a man began firing shots at another man who was sitting inside his car.
After shooting and wounding that man, the gunman went inside the store and killed the boy, deputies say.
Broward Sheriff’s Office identified the gunman as 29-year-old Darren Rosenthal. BSO spokesman Carey Codd told the Miami Herald that there was “no known connection between the shooter and the victims.”
Codd added that there is also no clear connection between the victims.
“The investigation is active and ongoing, and, at this time, the motive for the shooting is unknown,” Codd said in a statement.
Rosenthal and the boy died at the scene. Another person was taken to the hospital, Codd said. His condition wasn’t immediately known.
Muzna Marzouq, who taught Naabigh, told WSVN he was a quiet boy beloved by all.
“There is a kind of people that are angels,” Marzouq said. “This is the one. We ask God to give patience to his family to cope with this tragedy.”
Chess teacher Omar Durani told WSVN he was shocked and saddened by the boy’s death.
“I don’t know how you make sense of it, but I know the one thing is that you can’t lose faith in God,” Durani said.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact BSO or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app. You can also contact Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493--TIPS (8477) or online at browardcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters can also dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States, BSO says.
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 8:11 AM.
