PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – As police continue to investigate the death of a 68-year-old Muslim man in Tigard, members of the Muslim community say they fear the killing was a biased crime.
Michael Troxell was arrested last week in connection with the death of 68-year-old Abdul Jamil Kamawal.
The Oregonian reports that Kamawal was found dead outside his family’s home without his shoes on. Because Muslims remove their shoes during prayer, Masjed As-Saber mosque volunteer administrator Rabah Khamis says many people believe Kamawal was praying at the time of his death.
Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Bob Ray says investigators have neither enough evidence to indicate or rule out a hate crime.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has asked the sheriff’s office to continue exploring the possibility of a bias motive.
Filed under: Crime, Washington County
