Boy, 15, charged in the murder of Lyft driver who served as interpreter for US forces in Afghanistan
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murdering Nasrat Ahmad Yar, the former interpreter for US special forces who escaped Afghanistan just to be gunned down while working as a Lyft driver.
The unidentified suspect was charged with first-degree murder after being arrested Friday by members of a fugitive task force in Washington, DC, officials said — while still seeking other suspects for the fatal shooting thought to have stemmed from an attempted carjacking.
Yar, a 31-year-old father of four who escaped from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, was shot just after midnight on July 3. He had only moved to the suburban DC region after being robbed at gunpoint in Philadelphia, where he first settled with his family after arriving in the US, according to a friend.
Surveillance footage obtained by WUSA caught the sound of a single gunshot before four young men are seen running down an alleyway.
“You killed him! He was about to get out,” one of them shouts. Another responds, “He was reaching, bro.”
Yar was found unconscious in his rideshare car and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
He was killed while “working extremely hard to support his family,” Assistant Chief Leslie Parsons said, according to NBC Washington.
“He dropped off a passenger and was sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by several young suspects,” Parsons said.
“It appears, through our investigation, that these suspects may have been trying to take his vehicle,” he told reporters.
“During that interaction, one of the suspects shot Nasrat. They then fled from the scene, running through an alley, where they were captured by surveillance video that was instrumental in solving this case.”
Parsons said several other people are being sought in connection with the shocking crime. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
“The reckless actions of these teens cost a man’s life and shattered a family just starting out on their journey in this country,” he said.
DC Police Chief Pamela Smith said she took the crime “very personally.”
“Here was a man starting out in the United States. He served our country,” she said at a news conference, WUSA 9 reported.
“This took us eight months and what we want to make sure is we have all of the investigative tools and everything we need to bring these people to justice,” Smith added.
One of Yar’s friends, Jeramie Malone, told the outlet that the teen suspect “owes a tremendous debt to society.”
“At 15 years old you’re not too young to know that you’re not supposed to steal, that it’s wrong to kill people,” said Malone, who helped Yar and his family flee from Afghanistan in 2021.
“His real guiding force to survive was he wanted to be there for his children. His children were his life,” she told WUSA.
Yar had been working 12-hour shifts for the rideshare company as the sole provider for his wife and kid, who ranged in age from 15 months to 13 years at the time.
He also sent money back to his family remaining overseas after working for nearly a decade as an interpreter for American special forces.
Yar and his family had first settled in Philadelphia, but, after being robbed at gunpoint, moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where he thought they would be safer, Malone said.
On the fateful night, his wife urged him not to leave home for work but he told them they needed money for the rent, according to his best friend Rahim Amini.
The shooting was captured on surveillance footage obtained by WUSA.
In the video, a single gunshot can be heard and then four young men are seen running down an alleyway.
“You killed him! He was about to get out,” one of them shouts. Another responds, “He was reaching, bro.”
A GoFundMe account has raised over $528,000 for the family as of Tuesday morning.
“There has been an arrest in Nasrat’s murder. Many thanks to the Metropolitan Police Department for the tremendous hard work and meticulousness that has led to this milestone, as well as the empathy and respect for Nasrat’s loved ones,” an update reads on the fundraiser.
“Please continue to hold Nasrat’s family in your hearts. Thank you all so much for your support,” it adds.
The Post has reached out to Lyft for comment.