UPPER DARBY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Police in Upper Darby are investigating a deadly carjacking that happened right outside of a mosque Sunday night.
The incident happened in the parking lot of the Masjid Al Madinah Upper Darby Islamic Center, located at 69th and Walnut streets.
A member of the mosque told NBC10 that worshipers were inside for prayers around 7:45 p.m. when they heard loud noises outside — some thought they were hearing firecrackers.
That's when police say 65-year-old Mohammad Rahman of Upper Darby was fatally shot and his car was stolen.
Rahman was a corrections officer at the Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, according to David Robinson, president of AFSCME Local 159, which is part of District Council 33.
Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt says the person responsible for this "is a coward."
"A coward in every possible word that you could describe a coward being. He could have taken that car and left Mr. Rahman there. He didn't. He chose to take his life.”
“He is a husband, he is a father, he is a friend, he's a coworker. Most importantly, he's a human being," Bernhardt added. "No one deserves what happened to him last night — nobody.”
Police say Rahman's car was recovered. No one was arrested but police are looking to identify a person of interest last seen in a face mask, gray hoodie, dark pants with rips at the knees, and sneakers.
Investigators, at this point, do not believe that this was a hate crime or related to the victim’s faith.