EL CAJON, Calif. — The man accused of shooting and killing his wife in El Cajon on August 22, was set to appear in court for the first time on Wednesday, however at the last minute the appearance was pushed to Thursday so the suspect could have an Arabic interpreter available.
The 45-year-old suspect, Abdulhannan Abdurazaq Al Wari, was taken into custody on suspicion of murder after being interviewed by detectives.
Rafid Albawi, a close friend of the family, says he’s devastated over what happened.
"They are very lovely family and I know them, they loved each other and this is a very big shock," said Albawi.
Albawi says Al Wari was an active member of the community who spent a lot of time helping the Syrian refugee community.
According to Albawi, the family came from Syria and have been in San Diego for about four years. He also said the family recently moved into the home where the shooting took place just weeks ago.
Albawi said the couple loved each other and there were no signs to suggest anything was wrong. According to him, they even had plans to attend college together.
Albawi says Al Wari worked as a security guard.
Al Wari is accused of shooting his 37-year-old wife inside their home August 22.
The couple's nine children, who range in age from 2 to 17, were at home at the time of the shooting.
According to Albawi, the children are being looked after another family friend. He says the eldest children are heartbroken since losing their mother and says the others are too young to know what happened.
Albawi says he stands behind Al Wari and is hoping the truth comes out soon,
"All we can do now is supporting Mr. Abdulhannan because really, we know him, he’s a very very good guy," said Albawi.
We reached out to the El Cajon Police Department for an update on the children, but we’re told only that the county has an open investigation and is working with the family.
Al Wari was scheduled to appear in court Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
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