The grainy image, which shows three people in dark hoods and white masks, looks like something out of a horror movie. Detectives in Denver, who released the photo on Tuesday, hoping it will lead them to the people who set a house on fire this month, killing five members of a Senegalese family.
Denver police also released photos of the dark-colored four-door sedan in which the masked individuals allegedly fled, saying information leading to an arrest could result in a $ 14,000 reward.
The fire, which broke through a two-story house in the Green Valley Ranch neighborhood of northeast Denver at 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 5, killed Djibril and Adja Diol and their daughter Khadija, 2, as well as the sister. of Mr. Diol Hassan Diol and her granddaughter, Hawa Baye, police said.
All five were members of a loving, friendly, helpful and energetic family from Senegal, the Colorado Muslim Leadership Council said in a statement.
“This loss has left a huge void in our Muslim community in Colorado, just days after the celebration of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha,” the council said. “We call on the Denver Police Department and the Denver Fire Department to expedite their arson investigation and bring those responsible to justice. The tragic loss of life of this young family will not be tolerated. ”
Police and fire officers said they had opened a homicide investigation after they determined the fire was intentional. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has assisted in the investigation, police said.
The victims were all found on the first floor, authorities said. A police officer tried to save the family members but was threatened by the flames, authorities said.
“I want the family, the local community of Senegal and the country of Senegal to know that you have our full commitment and dedication to this cause,” Joe Montoya, the head of the Denver Police Department’s Department of Investigation, told a news conference on Aug. “We have every hope that we will find the individual as individuals responsible for this and bring them to justice.”
Asked if the fire was a hate crime, Chief Montoya did not rule out that possibility, but said, “At this point, we do not want to bring tunnel vision to a motive.”
‘There are some cases at the front which are very clear what the motive was for a crime; this is not one of those cases, ”he said. “So we have to go very open and look at every possible angle.”
Chief Montoya said police would notify the community if the fire was motivated by hatred. Denver police said Wednesday that there were no updates on the case.
About 2,000 Senegalese immigrants live in the greater Denver area, according to Papa Dia, a Senegalese community leader and a spokesman for the victims’ family.
Mr. Dia said the flames and smoke were so intense that the family members could not get out of the house.
“Our hearts, our souls are crushed,” said Mr. Slide at the news conference on August 7th. “The only thing that can give us peace is to identify the persons who committed this horrible crime and bring them to justice.”
Diol’s younger brother, Moussa Diol, asked investigators to do everything in their power to find the culprit.
“That was my family, my everything,” Mr Diol told the news conference. ‘It’s hard to talk right now because I’m still passionate and so emotional at the moment. But it hurts. It hurts a lot, just to wake up and lose your family like that. ”
Mr. Dia described Djibril Diol as a hard worker and a dedicated family man who had studied at Colorado State University and was a civil engineer. The man’s father lives in New York and came to the fire in Colorado, he said.
After the fire, a stiff procession of Senegalese immigrants gathered outside the burnt remains of the house, which is located near Denver International Airport.
“We are not used to seeing something like this happen,” Dia said. “We consider ourselves part of this society, part of this great nation that we call home.”
Senegalese President Macky Sall wrote on Twitter after the fire that it was a serious matter and that he was following the situation closely. He also extended his condolences to the families of the victims.
Speaking at the news conference, Elhadji Ndao, the Consul General of Senegal, thanked the police for their work on the matter.
‘All we ask for, and what you care about, is that justice be served, for whoever has done this to find and bring to justice for the sake of peace and security in this big city Denver, but also out of comfort for its citizens, including Senegalese citizens, ”said Mr Ndao.
Neil Vigdor and Azi Paybarah contributed reporting.
