A 25-year-old Jordanian man who was killed in a suspected road rage attack in Marina Del Rey this week was described by friends and neighbors as a music-loving surfer who was building his life in Southern California.
Mohammad Khair Hani Ali Zaid AlKilany, known to friends as Kilani, had lived for years in the Los Angeles area and had been working in real estate before he was fatally shot Monday, friends said.
“He was my best friend. … He was always there to support me,” said Ash Carrillo, who once lived with Kilani and was neighbors with him in Venice. “I can only remember him as funny and sweet and a rock, really.”
Kilani was in a car with a close friend Monday afternoon near Marina del Rey when a driver cut them off and instigated a conflict, Carrillo said. At a stoplight, Kilani got out of his car to talk,she said, but the other driver escalated the situation.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office said Kilani was fatally shot in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Carrillo said Kilani dreamed about California when he was growing up in Jordan, where almost all his family lives. She said he hadn’t been home in years as he waited on his green card.
“We were kind of his family here,” Carrillo said. “He had his chosen family here, that’s for sure.”
The Los Angeles Police Department has not identified a suspect, and no arrests have been made. An agency spokesperson said there were no updates on its investigation.
“It’s just scary that there’s no suspect,” Carrillo said. “They just drove off, and they’re not even identified. That’s so crazy to me.”
“I’m usually a forgive and forget kind of person, but no, justice needs to be served,” said Dezmond Meeks, another close friend.
Meeks said he is devastated by losing Kilani, whom he met about five years ago at a music venue.
“He loved live music,” Meeks said. “He loved surfing. He was an excellent surfer. He loved doing yoga.”
Kilani had recently gotten his real estate license and had worked in the restaurant industry, Meeks said.
He said his friend was “just grinding and trying to make it, finding his way and finding things he was passionate about.”
Kilani’s work wasn’t really about money, Carrillo said, noting that he had talked about becoming a life coach. Meeks said he talked about getting into artist management.
“He was really a magnet. He had a gift of his voice, and he would inspire people,” Carrillo said.
She said Kilani often talked about his homeland and was dedicated to the justice for Palestine movement.
Officials with Jordan’s embassy in the United States confirmed that his body would be returned to his home country.
“He was the kind of friend to all his friends that if you needed something, he was there,” Meeks said. “I’m going to honor his legacy.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
