Washington: American sympathizers have raised more than $800,000 for the family of a Pakistani immigrant who was ruthlessly carjacked and murdered in the streets of Southeast Washington in the early hours of Tuesday, the 23rd of March, 2021. The family had only asked for a $100,000 as compensation.
“Although money will not fill the gaping hole his death has left in our family, it will help remove some of the stress and worry of daily living while we grieve and heal”
Delving Into The Background: Two teenage girls – aged 13 and 15, respectively – approached Pakistani immigrant Muhammad Anwar, an Uber delivery driver who hailed from Springfield, Virginia, while he was waiting for his client in Southeast Washington. A video posted on Saturday showed the incident unfolding, with Anwar hanging out of the front door as the girls tried to carjack the vehicle. It ends with Anwar’s Honda Accord on its side, the girls climbing out and a fatally injured Anwar sprawled motionless on the sidewalk. The incident sparked a wave of sympathy across the nation, with many taking to social media to address and lament at the growing incidence of crimes against immigrants and people of color in the United States.
The murder of #MuhammadAnwar is devastating. As the daughter of a Pakistani immigrant who worked long hours in the service industry, like so many immigrant fathers, Muhammad's murder hits home. The video of the scene is disturbing and the lack of media attention is disheartening.
— Haniya Syeda (@HaniyaSyeda1) March 29, 2021
What’s Happening Now: According to reports, after the video went viral on social media within 48 hours of its upload, Washington PD have arrested and charged two teenage girls, with murder, felony and carjacking. Legal experts claim that if convicted, they will face approximately 30 to 35 years in prison. The GoFundMe campaign, which raises money for such causes, said they had received about $782,893 by Monday afternoon. The campaign had appealed for $100,000 — $20 each from individual donors — to meet the funeral and other expenses. People also left flowers at the scene of the incident. “Although money will not fill the gaping hole his death has left in our family, it will help remove some of the stress and worry of daily living while we grieve and heal,” the family said in a statement shared with the media. The Big Picture: The US media reported that there has been a sharp increase in carjacking since last year, when the Covid-19 pandemic began. In 2019, Washington police had registered 143 reports of carjacking, which more than doubled to 345 carjacking incidents in 2020. Most of the offenders are teenagers. This is a developing story.
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