A father of six (with another on the way) from Arlington was found dead in his driveway on Tuesday, apparently shot and killed by suspects breaking into parked cars on his street.
Ali Ismail was found dead in his SUV when Arlington police were called to his home on Prentice Street at around 5 a.m. on February 14. Ismail, who was 36 years old, was returning home from work.
“The victim was minding his own business and arrived home,” said Courtney White, Arlington police officer, during a press conference, per Fox 4. “And someone started firing at him as he entered his driveway. Now, he is deceased.”
Arlington police posted video footage of the suspects taken during the incident. The department also posted a different video from earlier that night, which captured what may be one of the two suspects or an additional one trying the door handles of a car in the neighborhood.
The scene at Ismail’s home showed the passenger side window of his vehicle shot out with glass on the ground.
Police believe that there were two male suspects attempting to get into cars parked in the neighborhood when Ismail arrived home. One of the suspects was in his driveway and is said to have immediately fired several rounds at him as he pulled in at about 5:14 a.m.
Neighbor Elliot Perkins lives across the street. He described to Fox 4 the moment he heard Ismail’s wife and children screaming for help.
“Dispatch was asking us to take him out of the vehicle and lay him down,” Perkins said, Fox 4 reported. “So I asked her to go inside and get a towel because it was raining. Then the police came around the corner.”
There have been about 546 vehicle burglaries in Dallas so far this month, according to crime briefing data. In District 5, which is overseen by City Councilman Jaime Resendez, The Dallas Express Crime Boss for January, there was a 19% increase in auto thefts alone between 2021 and 2022. Vehicle-related crime has recently become a common problem in neighboring Arlington.
Prior to Ismail’s murder, Arlington PD had already been looking for two male suspects linked to multiple car thefts in the city. Back in December, a car owner was reportedly shot in the stomach after confronting them while they were in the process of stealing his car, according to Fox 4.
Despite having surveillance video from this incident and the recent one involving Ismail, authorities are still trying to identify the suspects.
Oak Farms Dairy is now offering a $10,000 reward to help find those responsible for Ismail’s murder, Arlington PD tweeted. Anyone with information about the case is urged to call Detective Hall at 817-459-5325.