West Oak Lane drive-by shooting claims the life of 23-year-old

Vehicle recovered in fatal hit-and-run
(Metro file photo)

A 23-year-old man died several hours after he was involved in a drive-by shooting in the city’s West Oak Lane neighborhood.

According to police, on Tuesday at about 7:39 p.m., officers in the city’s 35th District saw a blue Jeep Cherokee driving at a high rate of speed toward Albert Einstein Medical Center.

When it arrived at the hospital entrance, officers found two shooting victims inside the vehicle, and law enforcement officials said the victims, both 23-year-old men, were taken in – one to the intensive care unit and the other directly to surgery.

Police said that at the time they were admitted to the hospital, both male victims were in extremely critical condition. One man had been shot in the right side of his head, and the other victim was struck in the right arm and torso, police said.

On Wednesday, at about 1:06 p.m., one of those victims, Zafir Abdur-Rahman, of the 1900 block of 71st Avenue, died of the wounds he suffered the night before.

Upon further investigation, police said that the officers learned the men were shot when their vehicle was sitting at the intersection of Upsal Street and Williams Avenue, when a white, compact, late-model sedan pulled alongside their vehicle and began to fire at them.

According to police, the investigation into this shooting is ongoing and police have not yet determined the motive for the drive-by shooting.