DETROIT – Tragedy struck the Dearborn Arab American community for the second time in less than two months after a drive-by shooting on Detroit’s west side during the early morning hours of Sunday, August 28. 

Hussein AlWaily, 23, was struck and killed by a bullet fired from another car as he crossed the middle of the road in an area where a late-night drag race was being held. 

A sheriff’s deputy was also hit in the leg and suffered minor injuries according to local reports while conducting undercover surveillance work on the races. 

No arrests have been made in the case yet and police are still looking for suspects from the shooting, which took place at Grand River Avenue near McGraw Street on Detroit’s west side, where large crowds often gather to watch races. 

Friends had reportedly asked AlWaily not to go; other friends have said they were more than surprised that he decided to attend the races. 

“Surprise is an understatement, he wasn’t that kind of guy,” said friend Ali Al-Sheeblawy of Dearborn, who graduated from Fordson High School with AlWaily in 2007 and went to school with him since 7th grade. 

“People usually describe him as just one of the best people they’ve met, he was one in a million.” 

Al-Sheeblawy  said that AlWaily, who played on a team with him in the Metro Detroit Soccer League, would often drive from Dearborn to Dearborn Heights to take him to practice even though the park was right next to his house. He said that AlWaily was the kind of person who was always there for him and his friends no matter what time of day or what type of help was needed. 

A public viewing was held for AlWaily at the Karbala Islamic Center in Dearborn on Wednesday, August 31. Al-Sheeblawy  said it was quiet at first but the tone changed as people began to reminisce about AlWaily, nicknamed “Elway.” 

“At first the whole place was in shock because of the sympathy towards the mother and father,” he said.

“As the night went on about 40-50 people went outside and started smiling, remembering his life, trying to have a competition to remember a story about him that was bad, we couldn’t find anything.

“We stayed outside the mosque until 1:30 just talking about the good times we had with him.” 

Al-Sheeblawy  said AlWaily was one of a kind and was well known in the community. 

“He was the Michael Jordan of our community, he always wanted to strive to be the best and to get other people to be at his level,” he said. 

“The guy liked helping people, he never had anything but a smile on his face and I really miss him…one word to describe him is undescribable, that’s how great he was, I can’t put him into words, he was amazing.”