Dozens rally for justice in west Seattle after gunshot kills 15-year-old student

Rally held for teen shot and killed in West Seattle

Dozens of students joined the family of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam, who was shot inside a nearby community center on Jan. 23.

SEATTLE - A call for justice was heard loud and clear during a rally outside of Chief Sealth International High School in West Seattle on Monday as dozens of students joined the family of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam, who was shot inside a nearby community center on Jan. 23.

The high school student died from the gunshot.

While Seattle detectives continue investigating his death, Mobarak’s loved ones said they need answers now on what happened to him.

"We shouldn’t be losing our kids this young," said Leyla Adam, Mobarak’s sister. "This is my younger brother. I grew up with him. I have to know what happened because it just doesn’t make sense."

"Something has to be done eventually! Something has to be done eventually!" chanted Mobarak’s older brother during the rally.

Officials with the Seattle Police Department said Mobarak, a student, was found shot in a restroom inside the Southwest Athletic Complex Community Center, just a few steps away from the high school.

His family said they were in disbelief that the person who brought so much joy and laughter was suddenly taken from them.

"He was just always smiling. He would joke around, and he would just giggle, he would always make people giggle," said Leyla. "He would always get along with everybody and he was always so helpful. You can’t imagine someone who is like that would be a victim of such a tragedy."

Mobarak was seen with other students entering the community center before the shooting occurred. Police said the gun was not recovered at the scene during the investigation, and detectives are still working to determine how and why the shooting happened. Officers said they interviewed several young as part of the investigation.

"It seems like we don’t have the full story yet and we need to know. The family deserves answers, the community deserves answers, all of you deserve answers," said a member of the Muslim Association of Puget Sound during the rally.

"Nothing. Everything has just been speculation. We haven’t gotten any concrete evidence, we haven’t gotten anything from the community center," said Leyla.

Searching for clarity, the family said they hoped surveillance video inside the community center would have provided some answers. However, the family said they were told by staff members the cameras hadn’t been working for the past year.

"Students are in and out of this building and it’s directly near the premises of the campus. There’s no way that these cameras should be off especially since it’s so frequented by students and community members," said Leyla.

Officials with Seattle Parks and Recreation said they are reviewing the security camera systems. In a statement, department officials wrote: "We are also in contact with Seattle Public Schools so that a Campus Safety Committee can be formed to collectively address safety concerns. We are also increasing patrols from Parks Rangers. SPD is present at our Late Night program for teens and will continue to do so."

Mobarak’s loved ones started a petition demanding body camera video and images from Seattle Police Department to help them better understand the investigation.

As family, friends, classmates, and community members marched the streets calling for justice for Mobarak, they also called on actions for policies to get guns out of the hands of young people.

"These need to be taken off the street. They should not be accessible to children, accessible to people especially if they’re not registered," said Leyla. "I’m just tired of it being an issue of losing kids before they even get to see their high school graduation."