Son killed in Darnall road crash was ‘everything to me’, says father

A father whose 16-year-old son was killed in a road crash last month has said he was “everything to me”.

Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi died in hospital after being struck by a car on Staniforth Road in the Darnall area of Sheffield on 4 June.

Three men were each subsequently charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder, and are due to stand trial next year.

Paying tribute to him, Abdullah’s father, Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi, said his son “smiled all the time with everybody”.

Abdullah came to South Yorkshire from Yemen earlier this year and had been looking forward to his first Eid in the UK, his family said.

The teenager had gone out to buy food when he was killed, they added.

Mr Al Yazidi said: “The situation is very bad right now for me and all the family.

“He smiled every time and all the people loved him. He was not only my son, he was my friend. He’s everything for me.

“My wife is crying all the time, every time she sees anything of Abdullah’s.”

Mr Al Yazidi called for safety on Staniforth Road to be improved, adding: “I hope he’s the last one to die on the street.”

Mr Al Yazidi’s cousin, Saleh Alsirkal, who runs a shop in the area, said he was also concerned for the safety of children crossing the road.

Mr Alsirkal said: “Staniforth Road is not safe for anybody. We need to do something in Darnall.

“Abdullah looked after his mum and dad and his three sisters. He made everybody happy around him.

“If you met him you would never forget him.”

Sheffield City Council said it offered its “deepest sympathies” to those affected by the tragedy and that it recognised the “strength of local concern” in the community.

The authority added it was committed to “reviewing all available data, including from this location, to inform future safety measures”.

Zulkernain Ahmed, 20, and 26-year-old Armaan Ahmed, both of Locke Drive in Sheffield, appeared in court charged with Abdullah’s murder days after the incident.

They were remanded into custody and are due to go on trial on 13 January next year.

Sheffield Crown Court was told it was “highly likely” they would deny his murder.

A third man, 29-year-old Adam Mohammed, of Acres Hill Road in Sheffield, was later charged with the same offences on 18 June.

Police are still hunting for a fourth man, 22-year-old Zain Ahmed, in connection with the incident.

The three counts of attempted murder relate to serious but non life-threatening injuries sustained by an 18-year-old man.