Do you know who murdered Jafar? Jafar Barzanjy, a male cab driver, was tragically killed on the night of December 21, 1991, in San Diego. The incident occurred after Barzanjy had an altercation with several customers who left without paying their taxi fare. Frustrated and upset, he was advised by his supervisor to go home for the night, but he chose to continue working in an attempt to recover his lost earnings.
Later that evening, another cab driver witnessed Barzanjy picking up two or three men in the Hotel Circle area—men whom the other driver had refused to transport due to their suspicious behavior.
Shortly thereafter, gunshots rang out in the vicinity of 7000 Akins Avenue. Residents discovered Barzanjy slumped in the driver’s seat of his cab, which had rolled to a stop in the middle of the street. He had suffered a fatal gunshot wound. A witness reported seeing a Black male exit the cab immediately after the shots were fired and flee on foot.
Years later, authorities extradited a suspect from El Salvador in connection with a 1991 murder in the Emerald Hills area of San Diego. The suspect, a 66-year-old man, was booked into custody in 2004 and remained incarcerated for years. In November 2024, while still in custody, he experienced medical complications and was transferred to a hospital, where he later died. Officials withheld his name while attempting to notify his family. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office was tasked with determining the cause and manner of his death.
Despite the extradition and arrest, the case remains a cold case, with investigators continuing to seek information regarding Barzanjy's murder. Authorities encourage anyone with knowledge of the crime to come forward. The circumstances surrounding the killing, including the identities of all involved, remain a subject of ongoing investigation.
