A man who served as an interpreter assisting U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan has been murdered in Washington, D.C., according to authorities.
Nasrat Ahmad Yar, 31, was a father of four living in Alexandria, Virginia after spending a decade as an interpreter for the U.S. Army Special Forces. He fled Afghanistan in 2021 with his family after the Taliban seized control of the country following President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal.
Shortly after midnight on Monday, Yar was fatally shot while working an extra rideshare shift for Lyft. Surveillance video of the murder captured the sound of a single gunshot, and showed four individuals who appeared to be teenagers fleeing the scene down an alley.
July 2023. Afghan immigrant, 31-year-old Nasrat Ahmad Yar, was the victim of a shooting inside his vehicle. The Lyft driver was finishing up a late-night shift of driving for the rideshare company when he was shot in Washington, D.C. Emergency personnel responded to the scene and… pic.twitter.com/GwEIR4FVec
— Southern Man (@MagicBelle1) July 7, 2023
One individual in the recording can be heard saying: “You just killed him.”
“He was reaching, bro,” another person can be heard replying.
Upon responding to the scene, emergency personnel found Yar on the ground beside his car suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Yar had only recently moved to the area, leaving Philadelphia less than a year ago due to safety concerns after he was robbed at gunpoint. According to the GoFundMe campaign made after the incident, he was the sole provider for his family, with children ranging from 15 months old to 13 years old.
Jeramie Malone, a close friend of Yar’s, spoke out about his life.
“I can’t emphasize enough how he was always helping,” Malone said. “Leaving the house was very dangerous for him, but he was always eager to help somebody else who is a good guy. His children were the most important thing to him, and he brought them here so he could be safe.”
Speaking with local news outlet WUSA, retired Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Butler explained that Yar “was most certainly a marked man if he stayed” in Afghanistan.
“You just don’t have words to describe how you feel about someone who had given so much to his country, not as a citizen, but then comes here and experiences some of the worst behavior our country has to offer,” he added. “The irony is really thick here.”
A spokesperson for Lyft also commented on Yar’s death in a statement to CNN.
“Our hearts are with Mr. Nasrat’s loved ones as they confront this unspeakable tragedy,” the statement read. “We have reached out to his family to offer our support and are in contact with law enforcement to assist with their investigation.”
A $25,000 reward has been announced by the Metropolitan Police Department for anyone who provides information leading to a suspect’s arrest. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the department by phone at 202-727-9099, or via an anonymous text message to the Tip Line at 50411.
