Md. Teens Gunned Down Hours Before Graduation

2 killed as they sat in parked car in Germantown
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 7, 2017 10:15 AM CDT
Md. Teens Gunned Down Hours Before Graduation
A reward of up to $10,000 is up for grabs.   (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Honor roll students Shadi Adi Najjar and Artem Ziberov were to walk across the stage at Northwest High School in Germantown, Md., on Tuesday to accept their diplomas. Their absence instead put a solemnity on what should've been a celebration. Hours earlier on Monday night, the teenagers were killed in a storm of gunfire as they sat in a parked car about 7 miles from their homes in Germantown's Montgomery Village, report NBC Washington and the Washington Post. Audio from a home surveillance system captured more than 22 shots fired. Police found Najjar, 17, at the wheel of the still-running car shortly before 11pm. He was dead, as was Ziberov, who would've turned 19 on Thursday.

According to a 911 call, both teens suffered gunshot wounds to the head, reports FOX 5 DC. Authorities say they "worked through the night" to investigate the killings but made no arrests, reports ABC News. "May God punish who did this to my son," NBC quotes Najjar's father, who sent a series of worried texts to his only son overnight Monday. "No one hated Shadi. Everyone loved him," Najjar's best friend tells the Post. His death "doesn't make any kind of sense." Ziberov's mom says the pair had been at her home earlier in the evening but left to meet up with friends. His stepfather tells FOX 5 it's unclear why the teens were in Montgomery Village at the time of the shooting. A reward of up to $10,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest. (More shooting stories.)

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