Left inset: Noureddine Dib (KGW). Right inset: Michael Zakarneh (GoFundMe). Background: Surveillance footage showing Noureddine Dib shooting Michael Zakarneh outside an Oregon school during student pick-up time (KGW/Multnomah County District Attorney's Office).
An Oregon father has been convicted of attempted murder for shooting another dad in a school pickup area — minutes before their kids were set to come out — after a series of "rude" and "disrespectful" encounters with one another, prosecutors say.
"If you don't get the f— out of my face, I'll have to show you something," Noureddine Dib, 43, told victim Michael Zakarneh before pulling out a gun and blasting the 49-year-old in the parking lot at the Islamic School of Portland in 2024, according to his arrest affidavit, which was obtained by local NBC affiliate KGW.
Dib was found guilty by a Multnomah County jury on Tuesday after 12 hours of deliberation. Prosecutors said at a press conference announcing the conviction that the shooting stemmed from a "number of unfortunate, rude, or disrespectful, encounters" that the two fathers had with one another, including an incident several weeks prior to the shooting where Dib complained about Zakarneh's driving in the school pickup and drop-off area.
"This shooting took place in a small parking lot that was accessed by a narrow, residential street," Deputy District Attorney Eric Palmer explained to reporters. "It's the perfect condition for some tense moments when it's full of a number of drivers."
According to Palmer, Zakarneh "did his best to calm those tensions and to put the two of them on a better path" on the day of the shooting, with surveillance footage showing him trying to talk to Dib before he opened fire.
"Look, we are just talking," Zakarneh told Dib after he threatened to "show" him something, per the affidavit. Prosecutors said during the trial that the two men attended the same mosque in Portland but didn't meet until about a month before the shooting.
Dib claimed that he opened fire on Zakarneh in self-defense, despite the surveillance footage showing him shooting Zakarneh while he was running away, The Oregonian reports. His attorneys said Dib was the target of "mocking language" and "very aggressive behavior" that Zakarneh displayed. The two men allegedly had three prior interactions in the school parking lot.
"I'm a peaceful person but this guy keeps harassing me," Dib said during a 911 call after the shooting, according to audio played in court. Prosecutors pointed out during his trial that he never claimed to be in fear for his life.
"Noureddine Dib took a loaded firearm to his children's school," Multnomah County prosecutor Stephany Mgbadigha said during opening statements.
A GoFundMe launched by Zakarneh's family describes him as a "kind person who's very social and loves making people laugh."
Speaking to reporters about Zakarneh, Palmer said, "My heart and mind is still with the victim of this shooting. … I've thought about him and his family every day and the anxiety and the fear that they've lived with ever since. Right now, I continue to think about them and the moment of extreme relief that they're feeling in this moment. I'm incredibly grateful to the jury that gave thoughtful consideration to this evidence and gave the one and only just and true verdict of guilty on all counts."
Dib is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.
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