The suspected killer of a maintenance man at Sanford’s Husseini Islamic Center has been shot by police in Indian River County.
According to authorities, 38-year-old Ahmed Raslan is suspected of killing an as-yet unnamed 59-year-old worker at the mosque on Thursday morning. Social media posts from the suspect indicate he thought he was going to the mosque to reclaim the property of Julius Caesar.
Raslan is believed to have broken into the center by using a propane tank to smash a window. Police believe the victim was killed with a shovel and then dragged to the building’s patio, where the killer hosed off the victim. Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma initially said the men knew each other, before reversing and saying the killing was random.
Raslan drove away in the victim’s vehicle and an alert was sent out for it. Raslan was found by Indian River deputies in the parking lot of a Sam’s Club. Body camera footage shows the altercation between Raslan and police, who mimed pulling a gun before walking back to the vehicle. Police shot the suspect multiple times. He is currently hospitalized.
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