Honor students discovered in car shot dead night before graduation

Two Germantown, Maryland, teens were reportedly shot to death a night before their high school graduation.

Montgomery police announced that Shadi Adi Najjar, 17, and Artem S. Ziberov, 18, were killed in Monday night’s shooting. The pair were killed when 22 bullets were fired at the Honda they were sitting in, according to the Washington Post.

Montgomery County Police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks told the newspaper that officers found Ziberov (pictured left) and Najjar (pictured right) dead in the car, which was still running.

Police said they received a call at around 10:45 pm from someone who reported hearing gunshots. A resident told WJLA that his audio surveillance system caught 10 to 12 gunshots. He claimed he turned the recording over to authorities.

“For those of you who knew Artem and Shadi, we ask that you remember and celebrate them.  They were both excellent students who had a positive impact on those around them, and they will be greatly missed,” Northwest High School principal Jimmy D’Andrea wrote in an email sent to parents.

At Tuesday’s graduation ceremony, D’Andrea held a moment of silence for Ziberov, Najjar, and a third student who died in January.

Police are currently investigating the double homicide and have yet to disclose a possible motive.

“May God punish who did this to my son. I’m sure the police will find who killed my boy,” Najjar’s father told WRC-TV while holding his slain son’s cap and gown.

The Montgomery Police Department wrote in a press release that Crime Solvers of Montgomery County is offering up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

 

[Featured Image: WJLA/Handout]