Loved ones gathered for a somber ceremony and burial Wednesday night, laying 19-year-old Minhaj Jamshidi down to rest, after he was shot and killed Sunday night on the University of Arizona campus .
During the burial, Freshta Jamshidi, Minhaj’s mom, mourned her oldest son. In an exclusive interview with KGUN 9, she said she wants justice.
Quais Papoutsis, the owner of Opa’s Grill , where Jamshidi worked, translated for her: “She come here from Afghanistan to have a good life for all the kids and she wants justice. Her heart is not here anymore. Every morning she wakes up…the first thing she sees is that beautiful smile from Minhaj and she does not see any more.”
Papoutsis also remembers Jamshidi’s smile whenever he would come in to work at Opas Grill.
“I always remember his smiles, his happiness. He was sunshine for the other kids,” Papoutsis said.
To Papoutsis, it’s about more than losing an employee.
“I just lost my brother. He was like my kid,” Papoutsis said.
Dozens of members of the Afghan community gathered in prayer as they buried Jamshadi.