By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
The start to a long holiday weekend took a scary turn for students, teachers and parents at Mary Scroggs Elementary School last Friday as gunshots were fired outside the school just minutes before dismissal.
In what police are saying was the result of an ongoing domestic dispute, Ali Cherfaoui of N.C. 54 in Carrboro fatally shot Chahnaz Kebaier of Copperline Drive in Chapel Hill multiple times around 2 p.m. as the two were arguing outside the front doors of Scroggs.
Tapes released by the Chapel Hill Police Department show multiple people called 911 as soon as the shots were fired at 2:04 p.m., including one Scroggs staff member and one person who allegedly witnessed Cherfaoui shoot Kebaier.
In one of the tapes released, the distressed caller describes the scene at Scroggs right before the shooting as being very quiet, when all of a sudden gunshots were fired and a female fell to the ground.
Moments after the shots were fired, the school went into lockdown and remained so until police apprehended Cherfaoui, who had fled the scene in a black Chevy Impala with Florida plates, and took him into custody.
“I am so proud of the way the Mary Scroggs Elementary staff worked together to ensure the safety of our students,†Keri Litwak, Scroggs principal, said in a statement released on Tuesday.
“They did an excellent job in carrying out lockdown procedures and dismissing students under extraordinarily difficult circumstances,†she said.
Cherfaoui was arrested at U.S. 15-501 and Raleigh Road soon after the shooting. A gun was found on him and he was taken to the Orange County jail, charged with murder and is being held without bond.
Kebaier was pronounced dead as the result of multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body at 4:08 p.m. on Friday at UNC Hospitals.
“We are in shock and grieve for the loss of a resident, and for the family, friends and acquaintances of Chahnaz Kebaier,†Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said in a statement.
Kebaier worked at the Center for Infectious Diseases in the UNC School of Medicine and had two children, aged 4 and 5.
Counselors were present at Scroggs Elementary on Monday and Tuesday to help students and staff members cope with the shooting, as the shots could be heard throughout the school.
In her statement, Litwak said approximately 20 students and staff members spoke with the counselors on Tuesday.
“Mary Scroggs Elementary wishes to thank all of the community members who have assisted us since this tragedy occurred on Friday,†Litwak said. “We thank the EMS staff for their efforts in treating Ms. Kebaier.â€
At Tuesday’s Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Tom Forcella thanked school and district staff for the way they handled the situation.
“I commend them for all they did as best they could around that whole situation,†he said, also thanking the police.
“We have been debriefing the situation because we can always get better,†Forcella continued. “You never plan on something like this happening, so all along the way there’s been constant communication.â€
This occurred in a “Gun Free Zone”. See how well criminals follow the rule?
This Tuesday night BoCC will expand more “Gun Free Zones” in Orange county where lawfully permitted, trained and scrutinized citizens will be compelled to forgo their right to self-defense in order to abide with the proposed new restrictions.
The BoCC has not provided any data or rational for their desire to disarm lawfully permitted, trained and scrutinized citizens. They have refused the free permitting and training offered to them by concerned citizens so as to have the best understanding of this new ordnance they wish to implement.
This new law in Orange will not make citizens any safer, it will only increase the security of criminals by expanding the areas in which they may prey upon unarmed citizens.
Chris Weaver