The family of Arif Faisal, the 20-year-old who was shot and killed by police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has issued a statement. Faisal was a computing engineering student at UMass Boston.
According to NBC10 Boston, the shooting occurred on Wednesday, January 4. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan told NBC10 Boston that Cambridge police were responding to a 911 call from who claimed he saw a man jump out of the window of an apartment nearby. He said the man appeared to be cutting himself with a knife and broken glass.
Ryan says the preliminary investigation alleges that Faisal ran through the Cambridgeport neighborhood for several blocks with a knife after seeing police. The investigation claims police spoke with Faisal and asked him to put the knife down before shooting him with a rubber bullet.
Faisal allegedly continued to advance toward the police after being shot by the rubber bullet. An officer shot Faisal with his department weapon, Boston 25 News reports. Faisal was taken to the hospital where he died.
The officer who shot and killed Faisal has been put on leave.
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According to NBC10 Boston, friends described Faisal as a kind-hearted person. he Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA) issued a statement from Sayed Mujibullah and Mosammat Shaheda, the parents of Faisal:
“Our only son, Sayed Arif Faisal, who we lovingly called Prince, is no longer with us nor in this world. We are completely devastated and in disbelief that our son is gone. Prince was the most wonderful, loving, caring, generous, supportive, and deeply family-oriented person. He loved to travel, create art, and play sports with his friends. He expressed his feelings through gifts; he never forgot special occasions and always made sure that those around him felt appreciated.
“He loved his friends, and had deep relationships with them, his family members, his cousins, and community members. He treated everyone with love, respect, and loyalty. Prince was a normal law-abiding citizen who had no record of any kind with law enforcement. He was never violent towards anyone. We want to know what happened and how this tragic event unfolded. We will cooperate with law enforcement and the Middlesex District Attorney’s office as they investigate to have an understanding of this devastating event.”
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