Vanessa Zaman: 18-Year-Old Virginia Teen Gunned Down By Father, Police Say

Vanessa Zaman, 18, along with Leona Samlall,18, were shot dead on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018 while walking by some apartments in Henrico, Virginia. Police arrested Vanessa’s father days later.

Vanessa Zaman, 18, recently reconnected with her biological father after a long time apart. The teen  was described as "silly, bubbly ... a comic," a family member told NBC.

The Virginia teen was walking with another teenager girl last week in Henrico when police said they were both shot.

Police detectives said Vanessa was with Leona Samlall, 18, when a man whom they identified as Vanessa's father got out of his car and confronted the girls. The shooting is being described as a fit of rage, according to media reports.

The victim's mother said that she is devastated. “Vanessa grew up under my love and care, until she was 18. Not too long ago, she researched and somehow found her dad. The two connected and were in contact for a while. Around late December, 2017, Vanessa and I spoke about selecting colleges. She told me that she was going to Florida. She invited her dad to her HS graduation where he turned her down,” Saveeda Barnes, who lives in New York, told WTVR.

“It’s really heartbreaking for any mother, father, aunt, uncle," Schmere Scott, who lives in the area, told NBC 12. "It’s not just affecting the parents, it’s affecting the entire community, because we’re all out here worried and stressed as to what exactly happened. We have to live here and it’s like did they get the guy who did this?”

Leona was briefly reported missing in 2016, but later was found to be safe in Florida, according to reports.

Thirty-nine-year-old Abdool Z. Zaman was arrested in New York on two warrants of second-degree murder, according to police. The NYPD with help from the U.S. Marshals Office apprehended Zaman on Tuesday, Dec. 19, the organizations said.