A Portland father was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday for shooting another father at school pickup while claiming self-defense.
In April, a Multnomah County Circuit Court jury convicted Noureddine Dib, 43, of attempted murder, assault, unauthorized use of a weapon, discharge of a firearm in the city, and reckless endangerment.
Judge Andrew Lavin handed down the sentence after hearing sad testimony from the injured victim, Michael Zakarneh, and his family.
“I will never, ever be the same,” Zakarneh said. “Every day is a struggle.”
Zakarneh and Dib picked up their children from the Islamic School of Portland shortly before 2:30 p.m. on October 17, 2024. The couple had a rocky relationship and had fought countless times.
Lavin claimed that these exchanges were “often the result of both individuals.”
During school pickup that day, Zakarneh approached Dib’s car and the two had a brief conversation. Dib then took out his revolver and shot Zakarneh, who escaped, tumbling down a flight of stairs and shattering his ankle as he ran.
Dib pursued and fired again, but missed. Zakarneh dashed across the playground and to a nearby gas station for assistance, while Dib rushed inside the school office and dialed 911.
According to records provided to court by his defense attorney, Dib informed a psychiatrist who evaluated him before his sentencing that Zakarneh had shouted, “I’m going to (expletive) kill you.”
“While it is certainly possible that Mr. Zakarneh’s behavior frightened Mr. Dib, it’s also clear to me that it made Mr. Dib angry,” Lavin stated. “Mr. Dib made the conscious choice to bring a loaded firearm with him to the school…he chose to use the firearm and he chose to pursue Mr. Zakarneh and shoot at him a second time.”
Zakarneh’s daughter told the court that her three younger siblings, who were at school that day, have grown obsessed with safety and constantly fear the worse.
Kimberly Carter, Zakarneh’s wife, stated that Dib’s actions have “shattered” the Muslim community in Portland and isolated their family.
Dib talked briefly to apologize to Zakarneh and his family.
“I wish what happened didn’t happen at all,” Dib replied. “I have no intention to harm anybody.”
Prosecutor Eric Palmer stated that the minimum sentence of seven and a half years would not have been sufficient. Lavin agreed that the penalty needed to reflect the fact that Dib did not halt his attack after one shot.
“A school is the last place we should ever see violence like this,” Palmer stated. “It’s not just Mr. Zakarneh that’s traumatized, it’s not just members of his family, but the students that were there that day.”
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