Police in Denver, Colorado are seeking three masked suspects in an August 5 arson that killed three adults and two young girls, all of whom were part of the same family. The image showing the suspects you see above was released by the police.
PLZ RT: Five people were killed in fire in the 5300 block of N Truckee Street. The fire appeared to be deliberately set by unknown persons who fled the area. Anyone w/info on this homicide is asked to call @CrimeStoppersCO at 720-913-7867 and you could earn a $14k reward! #Denver pic.twitter.com/7xbU2XQWDH
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 18, 2020
The fire in the 5300 block of N. Truckee Street killed Djibril and Adja Diol, their two-year-old daughter Khadija, and Hassan Diol and her infant daughter Hawa Baye. It “appeared to be deliberately set” by three unknown suspects wearing dark hoodies and full face masks, police said. The suspects fled in a dark 4-door sedan, according to authorities. The trio and their vehicle were pictured in a press release sent by law enforcement via Twitter.
The police department told Law&Crime on Thursday afternoon that there were no updates.
Police in Denver, Colo., have released startling new images of three suspects they believe set fire to a home, killing five people inside, officials announced late Tuesday. https://t.co/ZjLCoEk3ep
— FOX26Houston (@FOX26Houston) August 20, 2020
Arson was immediately suspected from the first day of investigation, but authorities at the time were reticent about disclosing evidence. Denver Fire Department Public Information Officer Captain Greg Pixley told reporters at the time that three people managed to get out of the home by jumping from the second story.
The alleged motive behind the fire remains unknown. The five victims were all described as being immigrants from Senegal, and belonging to the same family. A civil rights organization voiced concern that this could’ve been a hate crime, and asked law enforcement to look into this possibility.
A neighbor woke up to this: massive flames engulfing a home in Green Valley Ranch. Five people died: 1 toddler, 1 child and 3 adults. Three others escaped by jumping from the second story. Fire fighters found evidence of arson. Police are also investigating this as a homicide. pic.twitter.com/f1gzt9nczB
— Emily Allen (@EmilyAReports) August 5, 2020
“We are praying for the family and friends of those killed in the fire,” Muslim Advocates wrote in a statement obtained by KDVR. “Our hearts are also with Denver’s Senegalese community and all Denverites. Law enforcement authorities must take this suspected murder and arson seriously. Muslims in Colorado may have been threatened by hate-motivated arson before and hate crimes in the state are on the rise.”
“We are heartbroken. We cannot believe that an entire family was gone in just a matter of minutes” said friends and family of 5 people who died in a house fire police say may have been intentionally set. Djiby Diol pictured below @KDVR @channel2kwgn pic.twitter.com/q0ohKAdI1f
— Vicente Arenas (@vicentearenastv) August 5, 2020
A GoFundMe to meant to support the family’s burial in Senegal has raised $195,663 of a $150,000 goal as of Thursday afternoon. Shortly after the deaths, police offered a $14,000 reward for information about the fire.
[Image via Denver Police Department]
