Earlier this week, a father of four who worked as an interpreter for US special forces in Afghanistan for a decade became a victim of DC gun violence.
Nasrat Ahmadyar was shot and killed on 11th Street NE while working as a rideshare driver. His friends claimed that the victim was looking for other forms of income because he was late with his rent.
Ahmadyar risked his life working with US special forces in Afghanistan.
“He was shoulder to shoulder helping the American soldiers,” said his cousin Mohammad Ahmadi.
After the US forces withdrew, Ahmadyar fled, but eventually made it to the United States.
“Then he came here. He was so happy,” said his best friend, Rahim Amini.
Ahmadyar began his life in Philadelphia, but felt it was too dangerous, so he moved to Northern Virginia.
“He came to the United States to be safe, but his dream was really for his children,” said Jeramie Malone, who helps special visa holders from Afghanistan settle in the United States. “I wanted them to have opportunities,” she added.
Ahmadyar and his best friend, another former interpreter, bought cars and became rideshare drivers.
Ahmadyar was extremely generous, always sending money to those fighting in Afghanistan, his friends said.
“He was very willing to share what he had,” Malone said.
Ahmadyar was driving just after midnight Monday because he was behind on his rent, according to his friends.
“That’s why he was driving that night because he needed to make a little extra money to catch up,” Malone said.
A security camera captured the shot that ended Ahmadyar’s American dream. As four people fled, one yelled, “You killed him.”
Ahmadyar was found next to his SUV in the 400 block of 11th Street NE and was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot in the stomach.
“I was in shock, and the whole family, everyone is in shock,” Ahmadi stressed. “The whole community is in shock.”
Two fundraisers have been launched to try to help his widow and their four children, ages 15 months to 13 years.
“What we’re trying to do is see what we can do for the family to help and support them,” said Tariq Ahmadzai of Help Build Tomorrow, which provides assistance to the Afghan community. “I want to make sure they feel like we have our back as a community.”
“My goal for fundraising is to allow his wife to pay the bills and feed the family,” he said.
Ahmadyar’s funeral will be Saturday at the Muslim Association of America Cemetery in Fredericksburg.
