ST. LOUIS — After a father and member of the St. Louis Bosnian community was found shot to death in Cahokia, Major Case Squad investigators are trying to figure out what he was doing in the metro-east.
Police say when they found Mahir Smajic dead inside his car around 3 a.m. Thursday. it was straddling the street, blocking one lane of traffic.
As of now, they have no leads but the community Mahir belonged to is praying that all changes.
"Al-Fātiḥah"
It's a Muslim prayer said when someone dies.
It's a request for guidance the St. Louis Bosnian community has been saying en mass since the death of one of their own.
"The worst thing is nobody knows exactly what happened all we know that he's dead for what reason nobody knows," said Dennis Sehic a longtime family friend.
Thursday the St. Clair County coroner identified the man shot and killed in his car as 35-year-old Mahir Smajic.
The St. Louis resident was found about 15 minutes away in Cahokia.
"When the news came to us he was in Cahokia we were like what the hell we were even lost, it's out of his territory, you know," Sehic said.
Dennis was Mahir's longtime friend.
"I kind of gave him a little introduction to St. Louis and ever since then we were good," he said.
He said Mahir was a devoted father with a dedication to his community.
His most recent passion project was helping Syrian refugees settle in St. Louis.
"I mean you can joke with him and be like 'Hey I need your help' and he would be like 'When? Where? Let's go."
Cahokia police said Mahir was shot as he was backing out of a driveway.
And they do not believe this was random.
"It appears he was at that house for a reason," Bruce Fleshren with the Major Case Squad said.
As they search for his killer, Dennis hopes that the prayer — "Al-Fātiḥah" — will give the officers guidance too.
"In situations like this, I just think people need to take life more serious," Sehic said.
Police are trying to find the property owners of the house near where Mahir was found.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Cahokia police Department or the Major Case Squad.
