Somali native found beaten, possibly robbed, in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh police say they’re investigating the beating of a Somali immigrant who was critically injured and may have been robbed.
The man, believed to be about 30, was found beaten about 5 a.m. Tuesday in the city’s Beltzhoover neighborhood.
A city police spokeswoman says it appears he had also been robbed, but didn’t detail why police believe that.
Betty Cruz, the director of Change Agency, an activist group, says the victim is a member of Pittsburgh’s Somali Bantu and Muslim communities.
Cruz and others are calling on police to investigate whether the beating was a hate crime. Police haven’t discussed any motive beyond robbery.
The executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh has called a news conference for Thursday with a police representative and the victim’s family to speak about the beating.