SEATTLE — High school students in West Seattle walked out of class on Monday in protest.
The demonstration was in response to a deadly shooting that claimed the life of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam.
The shooting happened on Jan. 23 down the street from where Mobarak attended classes at Chief Sealth International High School. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) said it is investigating the shooting as a homicide and that the gun involved in the shooting has not been found.
At noon on Monday, classmates came together to listen to Mobarak's sister, Leyla Adam.
"This isn't okay," Adam said. "It shouldn’t happen. It shouldn't be happening. Hopefully us coming together really makes a statement."
"I couldn't sleep for days without thinking he died. I feel bad for his mom, his family,” said one of Mobarak Adam’s friends.
Last week’s shooting happened at the Southwest Pool and Teen Life Center. Police were called for a report of a shooting inside a bathroom at the facility. That's where they found Mobarak.
After the agony and anger, there was a call to action.
"What we need to do is come together as a community, raise our voices, and demand that our elected leaders and other officials take real concrete action,” said Aneelah Afzali, the executive director of the American Muslim Empowerment Network at the Muslim Association of Puget Sound.
“There has to be better regulations on these guns," Mobarak's brother said. "There has to be less access to these guns. There has to be more restrictions."The Mobarak family is calling for working surveillance cameras at the city-run facility where the shooting happened, and metal detectors on the high school’s campus.
"I hope they regret what they did," Adam said. "And that they live with that regret for the rest of their lives."
There are no arrests in last week’s shooting and Seattle police are continuing to investigate. This fatal shooting marks the first homicide of 2024, according to SPD,
"It's frustrating because you want to get to the answer but it seems like there's so many roadblocks and you can't really find out what happened," Adam said.
Anyone who witnessed the shooting or who may have information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes tip line at 206-233-5000.
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