Father of teen gunned down night before graduation begs for information in case
Shadi Adi Najjar, 17, and Artem Ziberov, 18, were found shot dead Monday night.
— -- The father of a Maryland teenager gunned down the night before his high school graduation is begging for information to help catch the person who killed his son and a classmate, reported ABC affiliate WJLA-TV.
Shadi Adi Najjar, 17, and Artem Ziberov, 18, were found shot dead Monday night in a parked car on a residential street in Montgomery Village, about 23 miles north of Washington, D.C., Montgomery County police said.
They were set to graduate from Northwest High School in Germantown the next day.
No arrests have been made as authorities continue to investigate the double murder, Montgomery County police said today. Crime Solvers of Montgomery County is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to an arrest.
Before Najjar's funeral today, his father begged for information to find the teens' killer, WJLA-TV reported.
The 17-year-old's funeral at the Islamic Society of Germantown was beyond capacity, WJLA-TV reported.
At Tuesday's graduation ceremony a moment of silence was held for the slain teenagers.
Northwest High School Principal Jimmy D’Andrea told the graduating students that Najjar, who took higher-level courses including upper-level calculus, "was a natural learner who had a genuine interest in knowing and understanding."
"Any assignment completed was well done," D'Andrea said, "and he enjoyed learning most when he felt challenged."
He was also "incredibly kind and personable" and "always leaned over to help a classmate when they were struggling," D'Andrea said.
Ziberov, who planned to attend the University of Maryland, had a "dry sense of humor" "paired with a truly kind spirit," D'Andrea said.
He was a member of the National Honor Society and had earned over 260 hours of community service, D'Andrea said.
Ziberov was trilingual and was working on learning Japanese as a fourth language, D'Andrea said. He wanted to pursue a career in international relations, D'Andrea said.
The principal said he would deliver the teenagers' diplomas to their parents later this week.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the police at 240-773-5070.