Ohio police shot Emirati Saif Nasser Mubarak Alameri in the head after he was involved in a hit-and-run car accident. The medical examiner on the case ruled the shooting a homicide.
The 26-year-old was studying law at Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University.
According to reports, Alameri fled the scene of a car crash that he had caused. His car reportedly clipped another vehicle, causing it to flip onto its roof.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol soon found him in the nearby woods, which ultimately led to a struggle between an officer and Alameri. The struggle escalated and shots were fired.
He was shot in the head.
"The autopsy has been completed and the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. The manner of death is homicide," the Summit County medical examiner said, according to Reuters.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) announced that an investigation was underway.
"In co-ordination with the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, the Ministry is following up the investigation into the painful incident that led to the death of an Emirati student in Ohio," Mohammed Mer Al Raisi said.
Needless to say, Almeri's death sparked an outcry on Emirati social media.
The hashtag #Saif_Nasser_In_God’s_Hands (سيف_ناصر_في_ذمه_الله) began trending on social media soon after.
Solidarity
Listen up, America
Cold blood
On excessive force
Earlier this year, Emirati tourist Ahmed Al Menhali >was briefly arrested and roughly treated by police in Ohio. A hotel clerk allegedly told family members that the man was pledging allegiance to ISIS in the lobby.
Menhali was wearing traditional throbe when the incident occurred. He was actually in Ohio for followup medical care after suffering a stroke. The employee overheard him speaking Arabic on a cellphone and was suspicious of his appearance.
Police brutality and killings, particularly of black Americans and other minorities, have been a hot-topic in the U.S. over the past few years. Numerous high-profile cases have revealed police officers shooting unarmed citizens, sometimes when they are fleeing or already laying on the ground with their hands in the air.
Almost a thousand people have been killed by U.S. police in 2016, according to a regularly updated counter by The Guardian.