Thursday, October 27, 2016
By Matthew Glowicki
Family and friends of a Somali woman want answers after she was struck by a train Monday leaving behind a husband and five children.
Ten years ago, Dool Gure moved to the United States with her husband from war-torn Somalia in search of a better life, said community spokesman Farhan Abdi.
Abdi said she lived just a block from where she was found and was familiar with the railway.
"But we do not know how she was hit by that train," Abdi said at a Wednesday news conference. "How does the incident happen?"
Speaking briefly, through Abdi, Gure's husband Adankher Mohamud said he left the family home around 10 a.m. Monday and received a call from his wife around 10:15. She had put three of the children on their school bus that morning and was caring for two children at home when she called him around 10:15. He didn't sense anything was wrong, Abdi said.
A Norfolk Southern track inspector spotted Gure's body around 11 a.m. on the railroad tracks.
Louisville Metro Police soon responded to the scene in the 2900 block of West Kentucky Street.
Abdi recalled being at the "horrific" scene on Monday.
Mohamed Afi, center, spoke during a press conference by the Somali community to update the condition of his family member Dool Gure’s immediate family after she was killed by a train. Oct. 26, 2016 (Photo: Sam Upshaw Jr./CJ)
"I couldn't even identify her face because of how the train hit her," he said.
Both the police department and Norfolk Southern are investigating.
About 30 community members gathered Wednesday alongside Abdi, standing in front of a U.S. and Somalian flag. Those who spoke described Gure as a hardworking mother and said they want to know more about how their loved one died and questioned why the railroad crossing didn't have any gates.
A funeral service for Gure, 32, was held Wednesday at the Guiding Light Islamic Center followed by burial. Community members are still figuring out how to care for Gure's children, who are between the ages of 6 and 13, as Mohamed has a full-time factory job. The community created a fundraising page to help with burial expenses.