Car burglar shot Arlington father of 7, killing him outside his home, police say
A car burglar fired multiple shots at an Arlington resident early Tuesday, killing the business owner and father of seven.
Two suspects were in the neighborhood trying to break into parked vehicles when the victim drove up to his home after work around 5 a.m.
One suspect was in the man’s driveway and was trying to hide, Arlington police said in a news release. When the victim pulled into his driveway, the shooter brandished a handgun and fired several times, striking the homeowner.
The suspects fled the scene while the resident was pronounced dead in his vehicle.
The victim, a 36-year-old man, was identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office and his family as Ali Ismail.
Ismail owned a trucking company, Panda Logistics LLC, a family member told the Star-Telegram. He studied business and information technology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington when he moved to North Texas in 2008, according to Saedeed Jama, a friend and former roommate of Ismail.
Ismail had six children and one on the way, according to family members. He worked at night and would come home early in the morning, his family said.
Loved ones described Ismail as friendly and hardworking and said he was always “helping his family.”
Arlington police officers responded to the shooting call just before 5:15 a.m. Tuesday at Ismail’s home in the 1400 block of Prentice Street.
When they arrived, officers found the victim with an apparent gunshot wound. Ismail was lying unresponsive in an SUV outside his home.
Detectives later determined that the two suspects had been in the neighborhood attempting to break into cars.
Both suspects ran from the neighborhood, heading east along Prentice Street, police said. Investigators are trying to identify and locate the burglars. No description has been released.
Anyone with information should contact Detective Hall at (817) 459-5325. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at (817) 469-8477.
Arlington police said last week that they were looking for suspects in a series of car burglaries who were involved in another shooting that seriously injured a man on Blair Lane on Dec. 22. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the incidents are connected.
This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 12:51 PM.
