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Group Wearing Eerie Masks Suspected Of Burning Down Colorado Home And Killing Five Family Members, Including Two Young Kids
Djibril Diol and his family had immigrated from Senegal and authorities haven't ruled out the possibility that the fatal blaze was a hate crime.
Police in Colorado are seeking suspects in a fire that killed five family members, including two children — releasing a photo of the presumed arsonists wearing dark clothing and eerie white masks.
The Denver Police Department released a photo of the three suspects Wednesday alongside a picture of their vehicle in hopes of solving the case. Police have said the unknown suspects deliberately set a fire that tore through a northeastern Denver home at about 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 5.
The fire killed Djibril and Adja Diol and their daughter Khadija, 2, as well as Djibril's sister, Hassan Diol and her infant daughter, Hawa Baye, authorities said. Other members of the family inside the home managed to escape by jumping out of windows.
Neighbors of the family said the Diols appeared to be "honest, true" people, if a bit quiet.
“They were very quiet. They never really came out of their house. The only time they came out they were just really quiet. They never had any problems. They were just very honest, true neighbors. You know what I mean?” Jordan Sims told local outlet KDVR.
The Diols were prominent members of Denver’s Senegalese community, and some of the people who knew the victims and might have information only speak French, police told local outlet 9News.
Djibril immigrated from Senegal a few years ago to earn a degree in civil engineering at Colorado State University, according to the New York Times
“This loss has left a huge void in our Colorado Muslim community, just days after celebrating the Islamic holiday, Eid Al-Adha,” the Colorado Muslim Leadership Council said in a statement. “We call upon the Denver Police and Denver Fire Departments to expedite their arson investigation and bring those responsible to justice. The tragic loss of life of this young family will not be tolerated.”
A motive is not clear, though police did not immediately discount the arson could have been motivated by hate.
“At this time, we don’t want to get tunnel-visioned into a motive," Police Chief of Investigations Joe Montoya said during a press conference on Aug. 7, according to the New York Times.
“There are some cases on the front end that’s very evident as to what the motive was for a crime; this is not one of those cases."
No arrests have been announced. Denver authorities are offering a $14,000 reward for information in the case.
The Denver Police Department told Oxygen.com that there are no updates as of Thursday.
