MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Family and friends of Syed Nabigh Ali gathered at the Muslim Cemetery of Miami-Dade Friday to remember the brilliant, kind, chess-loving 11-year-old who was killed in what’s being called a random act of violence late Thursday night.
Known by his middle name of Nabigh, the fifth-grader was gunned down at a Dania Beach 7-Eleven as he bought ice cream inside the store.
Nabigh’s brother, Syed Talaal Ali, was alongside his brother and their friends when a stranger started shooting inside the store, located at 800 Stirling Road, having just shot someone inside a van outside.
The gunman, 29-year-old Darren Rosenthal, then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life.
“It just breaks my heart to know that I was there with him when it happened and I couldn’t do anything,” Syed Talaal Ali said. “Honestly, he was a very kind and loving person and there was no one who hated him, everyone loved him.”
Authorities haven’t determined a motive for the shooting, but said it appeared to be a random act.
“Trust your instincts, trust your sixth sense,” Syed Talaal Ali said. “We saw the guy glaring at is as he was walking (in).”
Family members held a vigil as Nabigh was laid to rest Friday.
“All this support is helping a lot,” Syed Talaal Ali said. “I’m so glad for (that). And I hope nothing like this happens to anyone.”