University of Nebraska track star, Marlene Rashidi, shot and killed while sitting in her parked car, killer dead 6 hours later when he chose to confront cops rather than surrender
Marlene Rashidi, 20, University of Nebraska student athlete, killed Sunday morning after being shot as she sat in her car
The one time refugee from war torn Congo, hoped to become a public defender and personal lawyer, killed by 22-year-old Germichael Kennedy
Dezarae Mann, 23, of Lincoln also shot during inciden, remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
Kennedy, killed six hours later by police when he pulled a gun and refused to surrender during arrest
Virgil for Marlene Rashidi by her friends and schoolmates
20-year-old University of Nebraska sophmore Marlene Rashidi wanted to change the world, a dreamer who set goals for herself and wanted to accomplish great things and friends of the college student said even though she was only 20 years old, she already had. Marlene rashidi overcome a lot of adversities in life to achieve her goals. Fleeing war torn Congo as a child with her parents and growing up in the refugee camps of Zimbabwe and South Africa, before come to the United States as a refugee. All was wasted in the early hours of Sunday morning, at a street intersection, by a 22-year-old shooter who may have been an acquintance. All was lost in a senseless bout of mayhem which lasted seconds.
Rashidi, who died early Sunday morning after being shot as she sat in her car in the Belmont Neighborhood, had hoped to become a public defender and personal lawyer.
Lincoln police said she was shot about 3 a.m. by Germichael Kennedy, 22, who was killed six hours later by police.
Dezarae Mann, 23, of Lincoln also was shot during the incident near Portia and Adams streets and remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
Alleged shooter Germichael Kennedy, 22 is thought to have killed Marlene Rashidi and critically injured Dezare Mann, chose to confront cops and pulled a gun rather than surrender. He was killed six hours later by police.
Marlene Rashidi was a sophomore majoring in political science and pre-law at the University of Nebraska, she was a thrower on the school’s track team. An accomplished poet with dreams of becoming a public defender, according to a statement from the university.
Rashidi also worked for the university’s newspaper and was a freelance writer and poet. A book of her poems titled “Refrain from Silence” is for sale on Amazon.
An excerpt from one of her poems reads:
“This is for all my people who dream to accomplish,
Who dedicated themselves, who put their time and energy,
To my optimistic athletes, treat us as one of you.
We are fighters. We are one of you, because we run the same race.”
20-year-old Marlene Rashidi , a University of Nebraska student who came to America as a refugee, was shot a 22-year-old male killed on the streets of Lincoln Nebraska, sitting in her car
Rashidi later died from her wounds at a local hospital, while Mann remains in critical condition.
Lincoln Police Officer Katie Flood said authorities were still trying to determine what, if any, connection existed between the two women and Kennedy.
“At a minimum, Kennedy was an acquaintance to the friends Marlene Rashidi was with on Sunday,” she said. “We have not determined if Rashidi knew Kennedy, if Mann knew Kennedy or if the two women knew one another.”
Dezarae Mann was also shot by Kennedy while sitting in her own car nearby, she hospitalized in critical condition, cops are trying to find out the connections, if any, between the victims and the dead shooter
Her parents told authorities that they had no idea why their daughter was parked in that area at that time.
Hours after the shooting, Lincoln Police officers had labeled Kennedy as a suspect and when they found him, he fled from officers before pulling out a gun, WOWT-TV reported.
Two officers opened fire at Kennedy, killing him, after he refused to put down his weapons. Meanwhile, the officers have been placed on leave while the incident is under review.
Student athlete the law student hoped to become a public defender
Rashidi and her family moved to Nebraska in 2009 after fleeing from the Democratic Republic of Congo and living as refugees in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Her brother Blaise Rashidi said he had no more tears left after losing his sister, but then broke down while remembering her.
“She was just a lovable person. Everybody loved her,” he said. “I wish this never happened, she didn’t deserve this.”
“I just want to know what was the reason for her death? What really happened,” said Blaise. “This man took a blessing from us. A blessing from our lives. He just took it away.”
No body knows why Marlene Rashidi was parked in her car at that location when the shooting occured
“Marlene valued her faith family and friends,” coach Zo Maier said. “She overcame many adversities during her short life… As a person, Marlene had an inner strength and drive to succeed.”
Her UNK coach Brady Bonsall described her as “strong, talented and confident.”
Nebraskans Against Gun Violence wrote on Facebook on Monday that the state had lost a “woman of great potential.”
The sports dept of the University of Nebraska at Kearney issued a statement mourning the death of their student member
“After being born in The Democratic Republic of Congo, and growing up in a refugee camp in Zimbabwe, it was the gun filled streets of Lincoln, Nebraska that killed a 20yr old Political Science student and athlete from the University of Kearney,” a statement from the organization read.
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