Naveed Afzal Haq
Encyclopedia
Naveed Afzal Haq is a convicted murderer who was convicted for the July 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting
.
.
Naveed Haq was convicted Tuesday, December 15, 2009, of aggravated murder, malicious harassment—Washington's hate-crime statute—five counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of unlawful imprisonment, The Seattle Times reported Wednesday, December 16, 2009. The jury did not accept the defense argument that Haq was criminally insane when the shootings occurred July 28, 2006.
i descent. His father, Mian Haq, is a prominent Muslim
American leader in the Tri-Cities
area, who helped found the local Islamic Center, and continues to work at the Hanford
nuclear facility. Naveed Haq graduated from Richland High School in 1994, where one of his classmates described him as a "pretty calm, collected, happy guy." Another classmate told The Seattle Times
that Haq "was never up front about his faith
or religion
." Haq is reported to have attended dentistry school at University of Pennsylvania
but dropped out before graduating. He then completed a degree in electrical engineering
at Washington State University
(WSU), but was allegedly incapable of holding down a job.
By all accounts, Haq had few close friends. A Seattle Times article quoted "the only friend Haq listed on the social-networking site, Friendster.com", a man from a Hindu
background, as saying, "I'm beginning to think I was his only friend in the Tri-Cities. I don't recall him hanging out with anybody else." Seattle alternative weekly
The Stranger
described Haq's former WSU classmate, as having been "frustrated with [Haq's] aimlessness." Prior to the shooting spree, Haq had spent "an idle summer in a studio apartment flirting with women on the internet."
Haq was married briefly, in an arranged marriage in 2001 in Pakistan, but the marriage was apparently unconsummated, and he returned to America without his bride.
in Kennewick, Washington
, after allegedly standing on a fountain near a Macy's
store, and harassing women at the nearby store's makeup counter. At one point, he exposed his penis to young women passing by the fountain. One of Haq's friends told The Seattle Times that the suspect was taking medication for bipolar disorder
and that he was unhappy with his life and sometimes made anti-Semitic
remarks offhandedly. According to another Times article, for years Haq's parents "had witnessed Haq's struggle with mental illness."
, he later disavowed Islam, converting to Christianity
. Haq studied the Bible
at Word of the Faith Church in Kennewick and was baptized
in December 2005, but stopped attending his Bible
study group after a few months. The Bible study group leader, Albert Montelongo, said that Haq talked about having bipolar disorder
and that he seemed depressed by the conflict with his family over his religious conversion. According to Montelongo, Haq converted because he perceived too much anger in Islam and wanted to find a new beginning in Christianity. Montelongo added that he thought that Haq was succeeding in dealing with "his own anger" the last time he saw him, and that Haq had told them that he was moving to Seattle in search of employment.
ago when Haq e-mailed him saying he had started work at a Home Depot store in Everett
. His friends thought it was odd Haq, who had a degree in engineering, took unskilled jobs. They say Haq had trouble keeping steady employment. Four weeks later, Naveed Haq attended his father's Islamic Center of Tri-Cities and met senior member Muhammad Kaleem Ullah (who had previously bailed him out of jail).
At the time of the shooting, it was reported by witnesses that Haq stated, "I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel." During the incident, Haq also talked to 911 operators, saying, "These are Jews and I'm tired of getting pushed around and our people getting pushed around by the situation in the Middle East." He also demanded that the United States
withdraw its military forces from Iraq
. Eventually, however, he calmed down and told the operator he would surrender. He then walked out of the building with his hands on his head and was arrested by the police outside.
Haq was held on $50 million bail pending full charges the following afternoon (July 29, 2006). Haq was charged with nine felonies, including aggravated first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary and malicious harassment, a hate-crime law. Haq is accused of breaking into federation offices and then engaging in a shooting spree, at which time he allegedly made anti-Semitic statements. Haq's court-appointed attorney has confirmed that his client suffered from bipolar disorder. It was unclear whether he would attempt an insanity defense until, on August 10, 2006, Haq requested to enter a plea of guilty to all charges against him, surprising his lawyer as well as the community at large. King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng
told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
that many mentally ill individuals "can fully be held accountable in the criminal justice system."
The judge in the case delayed entering a plea until a competency hearing could be completed, and Haq later dropped his request.
Two days after the shootings, Haq's parents released a statement "expressing their shock and sorrow over the shootings. 'We could not have imagined for a moment that our son would do this senseless act. This is utterly contrary to our beliefs and Islamic values.'"
On December 20, 2006, it was announced that Haq would not face the death penalty if convicted but rather would spend life in prison without parole.
His trial began in the King County Courthouse (Seattle) on April 14, 2008 and was expected to last a minimum of 6–8 weeks. It was covered on Court TV
. On June 4, 2008, the jury found him not guilty on one count of attempted murder (for victim Carol Goldman); on the remaining counts, the jury declared itself to be hung. The judge declared a mistrial. His second trial commenced in late 2009, and he was found guilty on all counts, including aggravated first-degree murder, on December 15, 2009. He was sentenced to life without parole plus 120 years.
July 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting
The Seattle Jewish Federation shooting occurred on July 28, 2006, at around 4:00 p.m. Pacific time, when Naveed Afzal Haq shot six women, one fatally, at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle building in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA. Naveed Haq was convicted in December...
.
Murder and hate crime conviction
Haq, who went on a deadly shooting spree inside the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle facility, was found guilty of murder and a hate crimeHate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
.
Naveed Haq was convicted Tuesday, December 15, 2009, of aggravated murder, malicious harassment—Washington's hate-crime statute—five counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of unlawful imprisonment, The Seattle Times reported Wednesday, December 16, 2009. The jury did not accept the defense argument that Haq was criminally insane when the shootings occurred July 28, 2006.
Background and early years
Naveed Haq is of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i descent. His father, Mian Haq, is a prominent Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
American leader in the Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities, Washington
The Tri-Cities is a mid-sized metropolitan area in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, consisting of three neighboring cities: Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. The cities are located at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers in the semi-arid region of...
area, who helped found the local Islamic Center, and continues to work at the Hanford
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The site has been known by many names, including Hanford Works, Hanford Engineer Works or HEW, Hanford Nuclear Reservation...
nuclear facility. Naveed Haq graduated from Richland High School in 1994, where one of his classmates described him as a "pretty calm, collected, happy guy." Another classmate told The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
that Haq "was never up front about his faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
or religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
." Haq is reported to have attended dentistry school at University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
but dropped out before graduating. He then completed a degree in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
(WSU), but was allegedly incapable of holding down a job.
By all accounts, Haq had few close friends. A Seattle Times article quoted "the only friend Haq listed on the social-networking site, Friendster.com", a man from a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
background, as saying, "I'm beginning to think I was his only friend in the Tri-Cities. I don't recall him hanging out with anybody else." Seattle alternative weekly
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
The Stranger
The Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
described Haq's former WSU classmate, as having been "frustrated with [Haq's] aimlessness." Prior to the shooting spree, Haq had spent "an idle summer in a studio apartment flirting with women on the internet."
Haq was married briefly, in an arranged marriage in 2001 in Pakistan, but the marriage was apparently unconsummated, and he returned to America without his bride.
Previous brushes with the law
Prior to the shooting incident, Haq had a series of minor brushes with the law, especially traffic violations. In March 2006, he was arrested for public exposure at the Columbia Center MallColumbia Center Mall
Columbia Center Mall is a shopping mall located in northwestern Kennewick, Washington, owned by Simon Property Group. It is the largest mall in southeastern Washington, and regularly draws visitors from as far away as La Grande, Oregon.-History:...
in Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, near the Hanford nuclear site. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities...
, after allegedly standing on a fountain near a Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
store, and harassing women at the nearby store's makeup counter. At one point, he exposed his penis to young women passing by the fountain. One of Haq's friends told The Seattle Times that the suspect was taking medication for bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and that he was unhappy with his life and sometimes made anti-Semitic
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
remarks offhandedly. According to another Times article, for years Haq's parents "had witnessed Haq's struggle with mental illness."
Christian baptism
Although Haq grew up as a MuslimIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, he later disavowed Islam, converting to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Haq studied the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
at Word of the Faith Church in Kennewick and was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
in December 2005, but stopped attending his Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
study group after a few months. The Bible study group leader, Albert Montelongo, said that Haq talked about having bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and that he seemed depressed by the conflict with his family over his religious conversion. According to Montelongo, Haq converted because he perceived too much anger in Islam and wanted to find a new beginning in Christianity. Montelongo added that he thought that Haq was succeeding in dealing with "his own anger" the last time he saw him, and that Haq had told them that he was moving to Seattle in search of employment.
Other activities
In search for employment, Haq moved back and forth between Tri-Cities and Seattle. At one point, according to a friend, he was working as a security guard at a Seattle area department store. The friend lost touch with Haq six weeks before the Jewish Federation shootingJuly 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting
The Seattle Jewish Federation shooting occurred on July 28, 2006, at around 4:00 p.m. Pacific time, when Naveed Afzal Haq shot six women, one fatally, at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle building in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA. Naveed Haq was convicted in December...
ago when Haq e-mailed him saying he had started work at a Home Depot store in Everett
Everett
- Places :* Everett, Washington, the county seat and largest city in Washington state's Snohomish County*Naval Station Everett* Everett, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts north of Boston* Everett, Pennsylvania, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania...
. His friends thought it was odd Haq, who had a degree in engineering, took unskilled jobs. They say Haq had trouble keeping steady employment. Four weeks later, Naveed Haq attended his father's Islamic Center of Tri-Cities and met senior member Muhammad Kaleem Ullah (who had previously bailed him out of jail).
Jewish Federation building shooting
On July 28, 2006, Haq is alleged to have gained access to the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle building by holding a 13-year-old girl hostage with a gun to her back and ordering her to dial the intercom and request to be buzzed into the building. After entering, he allegedly began shooting. Pamela Waechter was killed. Layla Bush was critically wounded. Dayna Klein, Cheryl Stumbo, Carol Goldman, and Christina Rexroad were wounded.At the time of the shooting, it was reported by witnesses that Haq stated, "I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel." During the incident, Haq also talked to 911 operators, saying, "These are Jews and I'm tired of getting pushed around and our people getting pushed around by the situation in the Middle East." He also demanded that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
withdraw its military forces from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Eventually, however, he calmed down and told the operator he would surrender. He then walked out of the building with his hands on his head and was arrested by the police outside.
Haq was held on $50 million bail pending full charges the following afternoon (July 29, 2006). Haq was charged with nine felonies, including aggravated first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary and malicious harassment, a hate-crime law. Haq is accused of breaking into federation offices and then engaging in a shooting spree, at which time he allegedly made anti-Semitic statements. Haq's court-appointed attorney has confirmed that his client suffered from bipolar disorder. It was unclear whether he would attempt an insanity defense until, on August 10, 2006, Haq requested to enter a plea of guilty to all charges against him, surprising his lawyer as well as the community at large. King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng
Norm Maleng
Norm Maleng served as the King County, Washington, Prosecutor for 28 years. He was also an architect of Washington's Sentencing Reform Act.-Career:Maleng was born in Acme, Washington, and grew up on a dairy farm...
told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
that many mentally ill individuals "can fully be held accountable in the criminal justice system."
The judge in the case delayed entering a plea until a competency hearing could be completed, and Haq later dropped his request.
Two days after the shootings, Haq's parents released a statement "expressing their shock and sorrow over the shootings. 'We could not have imagined for a moment that our son would do this senseless act. This is utterly contrary to our beliefs and Islamic values.'"
On December 20, 2006, it was announced that Haq would not face the death penalty if convicted but rather would spend life in prison without parole.
His trial began in the King County Courthouse (Seattle) on April 14, 2008 and was expected to last a minimum of 6–8 weeks. It was covered on Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
. On June 4, 2008, the jury found him not guilty on one count of attempted murder (for victim Carol Goldman); on the remaining counts, the jury declared itself to be hung. The judge declared a mistrial. His second trial commenced in late 2009, and he was found guilty on all counts, including aggravated first-degree murder, on December 15, 2009. He was sentenced to life without parole plus 120 years.
External links
- Seattle Police Certification for Determination of Probable Cause - 28 July 2006.
- Waiting Period: Jewish Federation Shooting Suspect Naveed Haq's Lost Summer By Josh Feit and Brendan Kiley, The Stranger (newspaper)The Stranger (newspaper)The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
, Aug 3 - Aug 9, 2006