US police are investigating an alleged assault that severely injured, and later killed a Pakistani-American Ali Taj Khan in California.
Khan died on Thursday a week after being found bloodied and unconscious near his apartment.
On Aug 27, the 39-year-old was returning home from a birthday party in downtown Sacramento, California. At 2:15am, medical personnel found him with multiple head and neck injuries, according to a police report. While authorities are still probing the events of the night, they have confirmed that the “investigation suggests that the victim’s injuries were possibly caused by a physical assault”.
Khan’s family suspect it could be a hate-crime, even though his wallet and phone were missing when he was found.
Last week, his mother flew from Karachi to California and is currently cooperating with the police to find any leads to the mysterious circumstances that may have led to his death.
Till now, the surveillance video released by the police shows a large unmarked bus parked near the crime scene.
“There was a limo party bus in the area right around 2am, and we’re hoping that the people on that bus can help us out with that so we’re trying to get in contact with the occupants of that bus to see if they can help us,” Linda Matthew, spokeswoman for Sacramento police told US media outlets.
Khan was a tech support employee at Apple. “Five years at Apple is a significant milestone,” wrote Tim Cook, the company’s CEO, after Khan’s demise, “You have energized and inspired others through the standards you set for yourself.”
The Sacramento Police Department has encouraged anyone with information about the assault to call their dispatch centre. Callers can claim a reward of up to $1,000.
Khan’s friends and loved ones have also arranged a candlelight vigil on September 7.
