Police in Denver released a surveillance photo Tuesday of three people in full face masks who are suspected of starting a house fire that killed five family members, including an infant and a 2-year-old.
The Aug. 5 fire killed Djibril Diol, 29, and Adja Diol, 23, and their 2-year-old daughter, Khadija, as well as Djibril’s sister, Hassan Diol, 25, and her infant daughter, Hawa Baye, according to NBC Denver affiliate KUSA.
Three people who were also inside the house at the time of the blaze were able to escape by jumping from the second floor, KUSA reported.
“The fire appeared to be deliberately set by three unknown individuals wearing dark hoodies and full-face masks who fled the area in a dark colored 4-door sedan,” the police wrote in a statement asking for help identifying the individuals.
A $14,000 reward is being offered for information that might lead to the suspects.
The victims were members of Denver's Senegalese community, and local and national Muslim leaders called on the police last week to investigate the fire as a hate crime, according to Religion News Service.
“This loss has left a huge void in our Colorado Muslim community,” the Colorado Muslim Leadership Council said in a statement. “We call upon the Denver Police and Denver Fire Departments to expedite their arson investigation and bring those responsible to justice.
At a press conference days after the fire, Moussa Diol, a family member, pleaded for answers.
"Just help get this resolved, because this just hurts a lot, losing your family, all your family at one time," he said, KUSA reported.
Djibril Diol immigrated from Senegal several years ago, according to Religion News Service.
A GoFundMe for the family described him as "a young man with a promising future" in civil engineering who "has left behind a community that he so deeply loved and cared for." He was working on a project reconstructing a portion of Interstate 70 in the Denver area, according to KUSA.
Senegal's consul general flew to Denver from New York in the fire's aftermath at the request of his country's leader to meet with the victims' family, according to The Associated Press. The president of Senegal, Macky Sall, tweeted his condolences to the family.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock also offered his condolences and met with the family in early August. "You better best believe that this is something that none of us in this city or this state or in this nation should stand for,” he said, the AP reported.
