A robber pretending to be a motorist seeking help killed a 22-year-old man when he tried protecting himself and his girlfriend. Adam Simjee stopped on the roadside, leading to an altercation that resulted in the young man's death.
Mr Simjee and his girlfriend, Mikhayla Paulus, 20, had been driving through Alabama's Talladega National Forest on August 14. Yasmine Hider allegedly requested help getting her car started when she then pulled out a gun, according to a statement from local police.
The woman then made the couple from Apopka, Florida walk into the woods. Officials say Mr Simjee then pulled out a gun in self-defence and the two then exchanged gunfire, resulting in both individuals getting shot.
A bystander watched the events unfold and told police she also noticed a second woman, later identified as Krystal Diane Pinkins, standing in the woods nearby observing what was unfolding, the Mirror reported. She said Hider called out to Ms Pinkins for help, then they had a short conversation before the woman reportedly fled on foot.
Ms Paulus tragically performed CPR on her boyfriend while waiting for emergency assistance, however, he died at the scene.
Hider was flown to a hospital for several gunshots to her torso, while her alleged accomplice who fled was later arrested less than a kilometre from the scene.
Both Hider and Pinkins are facing court for murder, kidnapping and robbery charges.
"Yesterday my world ended. my reason for being, my soulmate, my life partner, the future father of my children, died in the middle of a state park in Alabama," Ms Paulus wrote on Facebook.
She continued: "No words can begin to describe the shock and pain I'm in. We had our entire lives ahead of us."
"I'm so happy Adam is getting recognised as the hero he was. He was so selfless and would do anything for someone he loved. He always made sure I knew that I was safe with him and that he would protect me if anything ever happened," Ms Paulus said.
A GoFundMe was started to help Adam’s family gather funds to cover the funeral and support Ms Paulus with her mental health going forward.
It said: "We can no longer share the details of what occurred. We can tell you that Adam was an intelligent, hard-working, humble, and loving human being. He was taken from us on Sunday afternoon while travelling with his girlfriend of 4 years, Mikayla.
"Adam was just 22. He had his whole life ahead of him with Mikayla. With them being so young, no one prepares for things like this, especially at such a young age."
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