On a Tuesday afternoon, the life of 21-year-old Muhanad "Momo" Jawad, a male of Middle Eastern or Arab descent, was cut short in a brazen shooting on October 18, 2016. Jawad was inside his family's business, the E&M Smoke Shop on Ferry Street in New Haven, Connecticut, when a gunman entered at approximately 1:36 p.m. and opened fire. Emergency services rushed Jawad to Yale New Haven Hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead shortly before 2:00 p.m.
Investigators quickly arrived at the scene and began to piece together the events of that afternoon. It soon became clear to them that this was not a random act of violence. Evidence suggested that robbery was not the motive for the shooting, leading police to believe that Jawad was the specific target of his killer. In the immediate aftermath, a stolen Honda CR-V that police suspected might be connected to the shooting led officers on a chase. Four individuals were apprehended after the pursuit, but they were later cleared of any involvement in Jawad's death.
The investigation continued with detectives examining surveillance footage from the area. From this footage, they were able to release images of a man they wanted to speak with in connection to the shooting. However, this individual was not officially named a suspect in the case. The description of the gunman was limited to a dark-complexioned Hispanic or Black male, wearing a black shirt or hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. At the time of his death, Jawad himself had several pending criminal cases. Despite the efforts of the New Haven Police Department, no arrests have been made in the murder of Muhanad Jawad, and the case remains unsolved, leaving his family and community searching for answers.
