On Monday afternoon, a man from Georgia traveled to Chicago, where he killed his wife before shooting himself, police said.
The recent event is another example of violence, which continues to escalate in Chicago and across the country as the pandemic has forced cities to take additional precautions and go into quarantine.
Although health protocols were necessary, victims of domestic violence found it more difficult to get help.
What happened
Sania Khan, 29, was killed on Monday by Raheel Ahmed, 36, with whom she filed for divorce.
The incident took place in Khan’s apartment building in Streeterville. The scene
Police arrived at the 200 block of East Ohio Street around 4:30 p.m. after Alpharetta police requested a checkup on Ahmed, whose family had previously reported him missing in suburban Atlanta.
An Alpharetta officer told Chicago police that Ahmed and Khan were going to divorce, noting that he had traveled to Chicago to “save the marriage.”
Upon entering the building and arriving at Khan’s unit, they knocked on the door and heard a single gunshot followed by a “verbal groan.”
Khan’s apartment
When police entered the apartment, they found Khan near the door with a gunshot wound to the back of his head.
The blood on his face had already dried.
Meanwhile, Ahmed was found in the bedroom, where he shot himself in the head.
Ahmed held a Glock 9mm pistol and allegedly left a suicide note.
Aftermath
Chicago police and the Cook County Coroner’s Office pronounced Khan dead at the scene, while Ahmed was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died.
Khan’s death was ruled as manslaughter, while Ahmed’s death was a suicide.
Sanya Khan
Sania Khan was a photographer specializing in weddings and happy couples.
Her professional website wrote that her art is focused on capturing “life’s most precious moments.”
“I help people fall in love with themselves and each other in front of the camera,” her Instagram bio wrote.
Khan’s website revealed that she moved to Chicago in June 2021 from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she grew up.
“I used to love travel so much that I was a flight attendant,” Khan’s website wrote.
“My favorite layover was always Chicago and who would have known two years later I would have moved here?”
Sania Khan worked as a social worker before becoming a flight attendant to support herself while transitioning into a traveling photographer.
Friends sentiments
After her death, Sania Khan’s loved ones created a GoFundMe page to raise money for organizing the funeral.
Any additional funds will go to the prevention of domestic violence.
Grant, a friend from Khan’s high school, revealed that she planned to return to Tennessee this week to plan her next step in her photography career.
“You were stepping into the next chapter of your life when you left us,” he wrote on Facebook.
“[and] I hope that wherever you are, this next chapter brings you the happiness and success you were always wanting.”
Grant works as a cinematographer and videographer and said he and Khan were “creative minds” who bonded over their passion for photography at Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences.
He also shared that Khan studied psychology and women’s studies while pursuing a career as a photographer.
“She could make a friend out of anyone and would always be there for them during their moments,” Grant added.
“You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would say something bad about Sania because just knowing Sania added so much light to your life.”
Grant revealed that Sania Khan and Raheel Ahmad separated last winter and divorced months later.
References:
Georgia man travels to Chicago, kills wife, then himself at Streeterville condo: police reports
Alpharetta man travels to Chicago, kills estranged wife, cops say
