Funeral to be held Friday for convenience store clerk killed in robbery

Ayub Ali's 2 daughters survived Parkland school massacre in February

NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A funeral will be held in northwest Miami-Dade Friday evening for a convenience store clerk who was fatally shot this week during an armed robbery in North Lauderdale.

Ayub Ali, 61, will be laid to rest at the Muslim Cemetery of South Florida. 

Ali's killing came just months after his two eldest daughters survived the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland.

Authorities said Ali was killed Tuesday afternoon at Aunt Molly's Food Store, at 1691 S. State Road 7 in North Lauderdale.

Deputies said a robber held up Ali at gunpoint and took money from the cash register before leaving. But authorities said the gunman returned shortly after and shot Ali in the back office.

"The robbery guy took the money and took him over there to the small room -- the office room -- and shot him over there," Ali's co-worker and friend, Kazi Hayter, said. 

Deputies and paramedics from Tamarac Fire Rescue responded to the scene, and Ali was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he died.

It's unclear what motivated the gunman to return to the store to shoot Ali.

Those who knew Ali said he was well-liked in the community and had four children. 

Anyone with information about the gunman's identity is asked to call Detective James Hayes at 954-321-4231 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. A reward of up to $3,000 is offered for information that leads to an arrest. 
 


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.