Teenager arrested in killing of Afghan interpreter working as Lyft driver in Washington, DC
Police in Washington, D.C., have arrested a 15-year-old in the July killing of an interpreter from Afghanistan who was working as a ride-share driver after fleeing the country in 2021.
Nasrat Ahmad Yar, 31, was shot and killed while driving for Lyft in the D.C. area on July 3.
The unidentified 15-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder while armed, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a Friday news conference.
Yar had served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan. In 2021, he fled the country with his wife and four children after the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban.
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Leslie Parsons, the assistant chief of the Investigative Services Bureau for the Metropolitan Police Department, said investigators have been "poring" over evidence to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He said Yar, who was "working extremely hard for his family," had just dropped off a passenger when he was approached by several suspects who may have been attempting to steal his vehicle and one of the suspects shot him.
Four individuals were captured on an outdoor Nest camera, fleeing the scene after the shooting. Parsons said the video was "instrumental" in identifying the 15-year-old suspect who was arrested Friday morning.
"The reckless actions of these teens cost a man's life and shattered a family just starting out on their journey in this country," Parson said. Investigators are still searching for the other suspects.
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Last summer, Yar’s widow told FOX 5 through an interpreter that she pleaded with him not to go out that night, but he told her he needed to make money for their family.
Yar was finishing up a late-night shift of driving for the ride-share company Lyft, before he was shot in Washington, D.C., just after midnight.
"Our hearts are with Mr. Nasrat’s loved ones as they confront this unspeakable tragedy," a Lyft spokesperson told Fox News Digital at the time. "We have reached out to his family to offer our support and are in contact with law enforcement to assist with their investigation."
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"Outnumbered" co-host Kayleigh McEnany emphasized the importance of underscoring what it means to be an Afghan interpreter.
"This is someone who is not a citizen of the United States, but puts their life on the line in Taliban Afghanistan to help the United States, to make sure our country remains free by working with our service members hand in hand," she said.