Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – A week after the deadly shooting of the 31-year old Moroccan Adil Dghoughi in the south of Martindale, Texas, his family stressed they are getting “very limited information” from the Sheriff’s office.
After the tragic crime that happened in Tina’s Trail neighborhood in Martindale last week, Dghoughi’s family is desperately pleading for answers to be released soon.
His family insists that Adil was passing through that area to head back to Austin where he lived. “There is zero percent chance why he would hurt somebody,” Dghoughi’s brother, Othmane, said.
Deputies said the 65-year old Terry Turner, a homeowner in Martindale, believed Adil looked suspicious. The shooting reportedly happened after the homeowner confronted Dghoughi’s vehicle parked outside the residence.
NBC-affiliated television, KXAN-TV, reported from Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, October 18, that authorities were not willing to talk about the investigation nor release further information beyond what was initially shared.
Dghoughi’s former partner, Amy Fagnant, said he didn’t deserve to be shot while his family said he was unarmed.
His family is still in a state of shock due to the unexpected incident, Yasmin Moayeri, the victim’s cousin told Morocco World News last week. He added that what happened is a “tragic” and “violent” act, and urged people to spread the word about Adil’s story so justice can be served.
“Adil was a registered donor and his generosity continues even after he’s gone in order to help others. No one has yet to be charged for this horrific murder of an innocent man,” Moayeri denounced.
With questions left unanswered as to why the unnecessary act of violence targeted the young Moroccan, his brother added, “The car was closed, [Adil] was inside the car, he was no harm to anybody.”
Authorities have issued a search warrant as part of the active and ongoing investigation but the shooter has still not been arrested. Turner is reportedly being cooperative.
“The shooter is not in custody at this time and that there does not appear to be a threat to the public,” said the Sheriff’s office in a press release.
Sheriff’s officers have yet to unfold the full hidden story while Adil’s friends and family continue to demand accountability for Turner’s criminal act.
Morocco World News (MWN) reached out to Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office to find out more about the crime as soon as the news broke out last Monday. Officer Kyle McConnell responded to the request by saying, “All of the information that can be released, has been released.”
Dghoughi graduated from the International Institute of Higher Education in Morocco and later immigrated to the US in 2013 to pursue a Master’s degree in Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island.
Meanwhile, MWN got in touch with the Moroccan consulate in New York and they confirmed that they did not “receive a request for repatriation” of Adil’s remains.
The victim’s relatives and acquaintances have organized a fundraising company on GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses to facilitate the repatriation of his body to Morocco.
As of October 19, they have raised over $27,000.
The Moroccan community in the US is also showing immense support to Adil’s family, asking for justice to be served and calling on authorities to arrest the shooter.
Relatives of Adil along with the Moroccan diaspora living in the US reached out to the 400+1 activist group to mobilize protests to demand justice for the victim.
According to Chapter 9 of the Texas Penal Code, deadly force is justifiable “to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to protect the actor against the other’s use or attempted use of unlawful force.”
The “Stand Your Ground” laws, also known as “shoot first” laws, grant individuals the full right to defend themselves with force, including lethal weapons.
But the laws have been the subject of heated debates in recent weeks, with critics arguing that they encourage people to violently confront others, therefore bringing crime rates up instead of down.
