Update: 2 men arrested in Monday’s homicide of West El Paso teen

Aug. 21, 2013 afternoon update: El Paso Police say two men have been arrested in connection with the Aug. 19 shooting death of 18-year-old Saeed Nami.

Las Cruces Police Dept.’s SWAT and Criminal Investigations Section assisted in the arrest of 21-year-old George Diamos who was in Las Cruces at the 3200 block of E. University.

El Paso Police also arrested Geoff Bond, 21, of El Paso.

Diamos was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Facility on the charge of Capital Murder and Attempted Capital Murder. His bonds totaled $1,500,000.00. Bond was booked into the El Paso

County Detention Facility on a charge of Capital Murder and Attempted Capital Murder. His bonds totaled $1,500,000.00 The investigation is continuing however no other suspects are believed to be involved at this time.

Authorities in Las Cruces have advised that Diamos is also facing a charge of Battery on a Peace Officer. This charge came as a result of Diamos head-butting an officer while in the custody of Las Cruces Police yesterday evening.

El Paso Police are asking the media not to release photos of Diamos or Bond because of the ongoing investigation.

Previous Story: Las Cruces Police served a warrant Tuesday night in connection with Monday’s homicide in El Paso.

A source in the Las Cruces Police Department told ABC-7 El Paso detectives were in Las Cruces interviewing the suspect.

ABC-7 spoke to the victim’s family and they have identified him as 18-year-old Saeed Nami. His is family said he attended both Coronado and Franklin High School over the past couple of years.

The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. Monday in the 6300 block of Palo Verde, right next to Palo Verde Park. Police are saying very little at this point, but Nami’s family is saying a lot.

The victim’s brother said they were hanging out at a house across the street on Palo Verde when Saeed Nami came outside to talk to his girlfriend on the phone. Suddenly, there were gunshots.

“You see where that mailbox is?,” said Charlie Nami, the victim’s brother, whose hands were still stained with his brother’s blood. “I was hiding behind that mailbox so that I wouldn’t get shot.”

He said two men got out of a silver Chevy Impala and shot Saeed Nami while he sat in the back seat of a 1995 black Nissan Pathfinder.

“They got out of the car, my little brother opened his door, once he opened his door they ran up to him and they took his backpack and they just started shooting him,”

Charlie Nami said. “I saw him bleeding. I saw where they shot him. I asked for help. But he was gone.”

Nami said he tried to stop the men as they fled.

“I chased after them,” he said. “I hit one of them. I got in their window and they just started shooting at me a couple times and I don’t know how the bullets missed.”

Nami was hit nine times, according to his mother, including in the neck. ABC-7 found bullet holes in the mailbox and in the mirror of a car down the street.

“I’m angry,” Charlie Nami said. “I feel like I have no heart. They took my brother away.”

Isabel Nami, the mother of the victim, said a third son of hers, Richard Nami, was stabbed on June 28 and is still recovering. She thinks the crime may be linked to her son Saeed’s murder.

“We told the police we’ve been threatened, that they were going to kill us,” she said.

“They were going to kill our children and our family and we asked the police and detectives for help but they never did.”

She said she was worried something like this could happen.

“I even told my friends and people that I knew I was scared they were going to come and kill our children and ourselves,” Isabel Nami said.

She said Saeed was a football player, participated in ROTC in high school and was an A-B honor roll student.

“I just feel like I’m dead inside and I want to get justice for my children,” she said. “My oldest son, he’s barely recovering from almost dying and now I have a boy that he’s dead. He was a good son.”

Other than the name of the victim, police have yet to release any other information, except to say the investigation continues.

ABC-7 did ask police about Richard Nami’s stabbing in June and whether this may have had something to do with it. A police spokesman said they are aware of it and are investigating.

ABC-7 also was able to confirm that Saeed was facing drug-related charges. court records show the 18-year old was indicted in February on four counts of manufacturing or delivering drugs.