About 5000 mourners have attended the funeral of a Muslim girl whose beating death, blamed by police on a motorist's road rage, has some people in her community fearing for their safety.
Some left their cars as traffic overflowed on Wednesday and walked more than a kilometre to reach her mosque in Sterling, Virginia.
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Police probe killing as 'road rage' incident
The fatal bashing of a Muslim girl with a baseball bat has sparked outrage in the US, but police say there is nothing yet to indicate it was a hate crime.
Nabra Hassanen, 17, was remembered as a shining example of kindness and openness during the services.
Police say Nabra was bludgeoned with a baseball bat early on Sunday by a motorist who drove up to about 15 Muslim teenagers as they walked home from morning prayers.
The driver allegedly became enraged after exchanging words with a boy in the group.
He drove off with Nabra in his car and assaulted her again before dumping her body in a pond near her home, police say.
Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, is in custody after being charged with murder.
Imam Mohamed Magid, the religious leader of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, acknowledged the slaying had people fearful but he praised the many people who turned out "in a fever" to search for the teenager before police discovered her body on Sunday afternoon.
Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr said police had "absolutely no evidence" her killing was motivated by hate but he acknowledged many people still felt it must have been a hate crime.
On Wednesday night, a crowd of several thousand gathered for a vigil organised by the Muslim Student Association at Hassanen's high school.
"We heard about this type of hatred. We never thought it was going to happen in our neighbourhood," said Rhab Saad, who lives in the same apartment complex as the Hassanens.
"Muslim kids and Christian kids in this neighbourhood grow up together. We're all family."
A student at South Lakes High School in Reston, Nabra was known for her enthusiasm for fashion and makeup.
Friends said she was always there to listen to them, and she befriended everybody she came across.
The night she died, she had just hosted a big group of friends, both Muslim and non-Muslim, at her Reston apartment for an iftar – the Ramadan break-the-fast dinner.
"She was very, very kindhearted, always smiling, always dancing," Neshanti Morgan, 16, said on Wednesday as she walked into ADAMS, where the funeral prayer service was starting.
Many attendees at Wednesday's funeral were teenagers from South Lakes, but most were from the local Muslim community.
Many did not know Nabra but wanted a moment together to mourn their communal loss. The overflow crowd prayed in the parking lot, following along as the imam's voice echoed from loudspeakers.
"It's not just a tragedy for the Muslim community. It's a tragedy for all of us. We lost a 17-year-old innocent girl who was loved by so many," said Misha Yasar.
Iman Boshra, whose daughter was one of Nabra's many friends, remarked on the outpouring of support and concern. "I never saw it like this," she said. "My kids are scared now."
Wednesday night, hundreds of people swelled Lake Anne Plaza to share grief and memories. Volunteers struggled through the packed crowd, handing out flowers before Hassanen's family and friends arrived.
Nazish Khaliq's children Aleezah, 12 and Zain, 10, held hand-made posters asking for "justice for Nabra" and "no hate."
"It could've been us," said Aleezah Khaliq, who also attends ADAMS. "I kind of wanted to spread my voice . . . so we can do something about this."
Nabra's sister Nour, who is 10, addressed the crowd. "I just want to thank everyone for your love and support and I just want to say to Nabra that I love you and I'll always miss you," she said.
Later, a group of six friends from South Lakes High sang a mash-up of songs that they said reminded them of Nabra, including "How to Save a Life" and "One Call Away."
As the girls finished with "We are the World," those watching sang and clapped along.
AAP, Washington Post