Store owner killed in robbery

A Mount Healthy clothing store owner was shot and killed Thursday during an apparent robbery.
Friends and relatives at the scene said the dead man was Abdarahmani Diallo, originally of the African country of Mauritania. Police said he was 35.

Ace Dijane, who said he was a relative of the dead man, said that inside the store he saw a young black man who pointed a large black gun at him and then fled, running west on McMakin Street.

Diallo was found with a gunshot wound to the heart.

As Dijane spoke in front of HD & MD Clothing Store in the 7600 block of Hamilton Avenue, a group of about eight other young men from Africa stood around.

Dave Hutchinson, 44, lives in an apartment above the store.

Hutchinson, who works across the street at a bar, Vince's Other Place, caught the gunman on video cameras he installed after the bar was robbed. The cameras were connected to Hutchinson's computer.

Hutchinson said the young black man suspected in the killing was wearing black shorts that fell below the knee, a red shirt and red baseball hat.

He gave police a copy of the video.

The video, Hutchinson said, showed the suspect arriving at the corner of McMakin and Hamilton about 12:15 p.m. and running away 29 minutes later.

"He appeared to be alone," Hutchinson said.

Police said an undetermined amount of cash was missing from the store.

Diallo opened the store about four years ago, said Tyrone Roberson, who owns a tire store around the corner.

Roberson was at the clothing story 20 minutes before the killing.

"He's the best guy you would ever want to meet," Roberson said. "He always had time to talk or help you out. Somebody just wasted a good life."

Roberson was scared because he left Diallo's store and promised to return minutes later to look at some new clothes Diallo had just received.

But when Roberson got to his tire shop, he had a customer and was delayed.

As he was talking to the customer, Roberson got a call informing him of Diallo's killing.

Matthew Fay is president of the Mount Healthy Business Association and owner of Yotta Quest, a fantasy game store across Hamilton County from the clothing store.

"It hugely bothers me," Fay said. "This is totally unusual for this area. I want to know what else was involved."

Police are looking for the suspect.

To help, call the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office at 513-825-1500 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.

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A friend of mine lives in the same building as the clothing store was in. I remember him calling me that day saying the police wouldn't allow him to leave his apartment -- 'for his own safety'.

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