An Egyptian man who moved his family to the United States for a “better life” was shot dead in Cleveland during an online car sale that turned into a robbery.
Hesham Kamel was shot in the chest last Thursday on the city’s East Side, according to police and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
The 52-year-old immigrant arranged a meeting for 7.15am to sell his car via the phone app amOfferUp, police say.
Residents on Macomb Avenue saw four men hanging around the street just before Kamel arrived, according to a Cleveland police report.
Other witnesses noticed the men arguing with Kamel in the middle of the street.
One man pulled out a handgun and Kamel grabbed it and tried to push it away.
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The gunman shot Kamel twice, and escaped in Kamel’s car. The other three men stole Kamel’s wallet and ran down the street.
No one has been arrested or charged in connection with the shooting.
Police officers found the stolen car about one mile away later on Thursday evening.
Kamel called his daughter, Elaria Kamel, 22, as paramedics rushed him to Metro Health.
He died before she could meet him at the hospital, Elaria told cleveland.com.
Kamel moved his family to Cleveland in 2012 so they could flee the political turmoil in Egypt that was sparked during the Arab Spring.
Kamel couldn’t speak English, so he started trading TVs, cars and other items for extra income.
Elaria said: “This was a thing that he could do with little English. He was trying to be active instead of sitting around.
“He didn’t know the area he was going to. If he knew it wasn’t safe, he wouldn’t go.”
She added: “It wasn’t safe in Egypt, so we decided to come here to be more safe, to get a better life. We didn’t.”
Anyone with information is being asked to call investigators at 216-623-5464.
