In a terrifying act of apparent bigotry, two men and a teenager were found dead in Fort Wayne, Indiana, last week. All three were Sudanese immigrants, two Muslim, one Christian, and all three were shot “execution style.”

Local police found the bodies of Mohamedtaha Omar, 23, Adam Kamel Mekki, 20, and Muhannad Adam Tairab, 17, at an abandoned house owned by an absentee landlord in Indianapolis. The spot is known to be a hangout for local young immigrants.

Rusty York, the public safety director, told Wane that the three victims had been shot multiple times in “execution-style” killings. He also said that authorities are not investigating the shooting as a hate crime, at this time. 

Police Chief Garry Hamilton said that the victims were not know to have any involvement in local gang activity, and added that there was likely more than one person involved in the shooting. “With that many people involved, victims, it’s hard for one person to commit that act by themselves so there had to be some other people present,” Hamilton said. “These young people were just starting out their lives, and now, they’ve lost their lives. I need the citizens of Fort Wayne to support us to give us this information and anyone with information about this to help solve this case.”

At Omar and Tairab’s funerals, their relative, Abdelaziz Hassab, said, “We all came here to find peace and security… but the destiny waiting for us is real crazy.”

According to the Indianapolis Star, federal law enforcement will be assisting local police going forward in the investigation.

(Photo: WANE News15)