IPOH – Student Mohammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie, 17, who died after being hit by a car near SMK Jati, Ipoh yesterday was preparing to go to the mosque to perform Friday prayers.
His older brother, Zarul Fitri Muhd Zamrie, 29, said it was his routine for his youngest brother to gather with his friends after school every Friday in front of a nearby mosque on their motorcycle while waiting for the Friday prayer.
“Yesterday was the last day of school, he must be excited to meet his friends, that’s how they celebrate their last day at school…get together for small conversations in front of the mosque before performing the Friday prayer,” he said when met by the media at his residence today.
Yesterday, Zaharif Affendi was riding his motorcycle on his way home from school at SMK Jati when he was hit by a car at about 12.40pm.
The incident went viral on social media and following that, a 44-year-old man, who is also a senior police officer, was arrested and remanded for three days starting today to assist the investigation.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother, Mimi Julia Ismail, 50, described his youngest son as a very kind person who would not refuse when asked by anyone for help.
“He was gifted with the ability to repair motorcycles and often helped his friends repair their motorcycles at this house. His dream was to open a motorcycle repair workshop one day,” she said in tears.
Mimi Julia, who runs a restaurant near her son’s school, said she noticed a change in her youngest son’s habits a week ago when he began eating late at night.
“I chided him because he was gaining weight because of late and also the habit was not healthy.
“He finished up my milk in the fridge and ate instant noodles in the middle of the night. It was only now that I realised the change… after he was gone. It was a sign he was leaving,” she added.
According to Mimi Julia, the location where the accident occurred is only about 100m from her restaurant.
“I could see it, but only knew the victim was my son when informed by a customer in the restaurant, but I didn’t have the heart to go (to the scene) to see his condition. I didn’t even go to the mortuary,” she said.
Her daughter, Nur Zawanie Muhd Zamrie, 28, who is a nurse, said she was on her way to work and ran to the scene after learning that the accident involved her brother.
“When I held him, he was still alive, but restless. He only said his chest hurt and that he could not see before he lost consciousness.
“I attempted CPR on him while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, but he could not be saved,” she said.
Nur Zawanie said the family requested that the investigation be carried out transparently even though the incident involved a senior police officer.
“Even if my brother did something wrong, he was just a teenager…it is not his (police officer’s) right to take away my brother’s life. I want justice for my brother,” said Nur Zawanie, saying that the family plans to engage a lawyer to pursue the matter. – December 16, 2023