Surveillance video shows suspects linked to Ali Ismail being killed on Valentine’s Day

ARLINGTON, TX (CBSDFW.COM) – Arlington homicide detectives have released a portion of CCTV footage showing two suspects and a person of interest involved in the murder of 36-year-old Ali Ismail on Valentine’s Day.

The father of six was fatally shot after he drove into the driveway after returning home from work.. “This is a sad man. This man is a hardworking guy. He had six children. I don’t know what to tell them, I don’t know what to tell them. It’s wrong. He was stabbed to death in front of his house,” Mustafa Yasin’s friend said.

The grainy video shows people walking through the neighborhood before the shooting. “You can’t get a good look at the faces of the suspects, but this is the best we have at the moment,” detectives said.

The officers found Ismail shortly after 5 am in the 1400 block of Prentice Street. He lay with a gunshot wound inside his SUV. His death was pronounced on the spot.

“The victim was minding his own business, came home, and someone started shooting at him,” said a sergeant with the Arlington Police Department. Courtney White said. “We do not know the motives for this heinous crime.”

Based on their investigation, detectives stated that they believed the suspects were nearby trying to break into parked cars when Ismail drove up. Ismail works nights for a trucking company in Arlington. It appears that one of the suspects was in Ismail’s driveway at the time, trying to hide. When Ismail pulled into the driveway, the suspect pulled out a gun and fired several shots, police said.

“The victim and the shooter did not exchange a word,” the sergeant said. White. “I don’t know if the victim was targeted, but witnesses saw the suspects tugging on the door handles of cars.”

Both suspects fled the area, heading east on Prentice Street, investigators said.

Additionally, surveillance footage provided by detectives at 2:30 a.m. shows a man attempting to break into an SUV in a nearby area. Detectives said they could not “definitely say if he is one of the suspects in the shooting, but he is considered a person of interest in this case and detectives would like to speak with him.”

If anyone recognizes any of these people, they should call Detective Hall at (817) 459-5325. Whistleblowers can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at (817) 469-8477.

Detectives continue to ask homeowners who live in the area, especially east of Prentice Drive, to check their CCTV systems and see if they have footage of anything out of the ordinary this morning (4:00-6:00 Feb. 14).