ROGERS PARK — Mokaram Rauf said "Chicago will never be the same for me" after the murder of his 23-year-old younger brother during a robbery Friday near Loyola University.
Rauf spoke publicly about the murder for the first time Tuesday before a memorial service for Mutahir Rauf at Loyola, where Mutahir was a premed student.
Mokaram Rauf, who stood with his wife, Jennifer, said his family seeks "peace, not vengeance, understanding not bigotry," while calling for the community to come together against Chicago gun violence.
"We see this brutal act as being symptomatic of a greater epidemic of poverty and violence pervading Chicago, which we may only cure by channeling our grief and sorrow and outrage toward the search for peaceful solutions and resolutions," he told reporters.
Rauf said his brother hoped as a doctor to help others and "provide communities with the distinct advantages that he was blessed with in his life."
He also called for peace and understanding.
"As we mourn this sudden loss of our darling son, brother and friend, we ask those who knew and loved Mutahir to honor his memory by striving to mirror the grace, generosity and lionhearted-ness that he still faithfully exemplified," he said.
Rauf, 26, said one of the fondest memories of his brother was "silly," yet spoke multitudes of their life together.
Rauf said after he would travel from the airport to his brother's apartment, he would be carrying heavy bags. And every time, his brother — a dedicated weightlifter — would be at the ready to help carry them.
I remember "him stepping down with a big smile on his face from his apartment, opening the door and flexing his muscles, and picking up those bags and giving me a big ol' hug — that's the thing I will miss the most from him, getting a big ol' hug from him.
"Chicago will never be the same for me because of that," he said.
Rauf thanked Loyola and the community for its support, and the Chicago Police Department detectives for their work on his brother's case. He declined to answer specific questions about the Friday incident in the 1200 block of West Albion Avenue, citing the ongoing investigation.
The youngest Rauf brother, Moazam, witnessed the shooting.
Rauf also thanked the generosity of family, friends and supporters, who have been raising money online to help with funeral arrangements, which include eventually sending his brother's body home to Pakistan to be buried.
"While Mutahir is no longer with us, his bright spirit will continue to shine in the darkest corners of our hearts."
Memorial Service
Later at the memorial service in the Mundelein Center Auditorium, friends and other family members eulogized his life and offered Muslim prayers and song.
Friends remembered him as a well-liked and suave man, passionate about fitness, family and following in his older brother's footsteps.
From New York, he followed his older brother to Chicago, then into a medical program.
"Then I got married," the elder brother Rauf said during his eulogy, "and I hoped that's where he would follow me next."
Rauf said he visited the sidewalk where his brother was murdered. He said he lied to a TV news reporter there, saying he was only a resident, then just observed.
"I saw people from the neighborhood walking up and paying their respects," he said. "And that means a lot."
More than 300 were in attendance on the first floor of the auditorium, while others occupied the balcony.
"You have our deepest sorrow and our deepest sympathy," Loyola President Father Michael Garanzini said to the Rauf family sitting before him.
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