Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir’s 16-year-old nephew was found fatally shot in Cobbs Creek

Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir's teen nephew was found dead by someone walking their dog.

Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir’s 16-year-old nephew Mujahid Sabir was found fatally shot in Cobbs Creek.Read moreCourtesy of Omar Sabir

Published May 17, 2024, 1:24 p.m. ET

Mujahid Sabir, the 16-year-old nephew of Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir, was found fatally shot in Cobbs Creek Park in Philadelphia last Friday.

“Mujahid Ibn Jamal Sabir returned to Allah on May 10, 2024,” a digital flyer said announcing his Friday morning Janazah prayer, which was posted on Commissioner Sabir’s Instagram page. The Janazah was held at Khadijah Alderman Funeral Service in West Philly, according to the flyer.

Sabir, the commissioner’s nephew, was found unresponsive last Friday morning by a person walking their dog on the Cobbs Creek Trail behind the 6000 block of Angora Terrace, according to police.

The teenager had multiple gunshot wounds to his back, chest, and leg, and there were about 14 fired cartridges near his body, Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said.

He was declared dead on the scene by a medic at 7:02 a.m., according to police.

The commissioner said in a statement on Instagram that the murder of his nephew left “an immense void in our hearts.” He encouraged people to contact the Philadelphia Police department with any information “to ensure that those responsible are immediately brought to justice so that they are no longer a danger to our community.”

A week after the teenager’s murder was discovered, no arrests have been made and the motive is unclear, according to Vanore.

The Homicide Unit is investigating the case, according to the police department.

Mujahid Sabir’s family worried about him after they hadn’t seen the teen since Thursday evening, and went days without knowing where he was because his assailants took his identification, Commissioner Sabir told ABC. The teenager’s family was notified of his death earlier this week, the commissioner said, according to the report.

“Just talking to my brother and his mother, the look on their face, it just looks like something was taken away from them that will be never been given back,” Commissioner Sabir told ABC.

Sabir’s death is the latest loss of a young person in city’s gun violence crisis.

This year, 48 children have been shot in Philadelphia, seven of which were killed, according to the City Controller’s office. Last year, 24 children were killed in shootings in Philadelphia.