KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) – Family and friends of a mixed martial arts fighter shot and killed in Kalamazoo last month remembered him as reliable and vibrant.
Bader Farwana, 25, was shot in his car on March 23 on Jackson Street near Portage Street. Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers were initially called to the scene of the crash around 11:30 p.m. However, when they arrived, Farwana was found suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He later died at the scene.
Saleem Farwana, Bader Farwana's younger brother, said he was his biggest role model. He said he was always there for Bader Farwana while she was growing up.
“It meant the world, you know? It really did,” he said. “It was really meaningful to me. It's one of those things where you don't know what you've got until it's tragically lost.”
According to those closest to him, Bader Farwana was not only a great brother and father to a one-year-old daughter, but also a great friend.
“Vader was just a great guy,” said Caleb Brown, a friend of Vader Farwana. “I really thought of him as the older brother I never had.”
“It's a little hard to accept,” said Jackson Bouie, another friend of Bader Farwana. “He was just here… because of something so trivial that it could have been handled in a completely different way,” he said of Bader Farwana's death.
Bader Farwana's coach, who coached him for three and a half years, said he was a vibrant, tough fighter and sociable.
“He lit up every room I was in,” Bader Farwana coach Tristen Brown said. “He loved to talk. It was kind of a joke. We loved listening to him, too. He was always laughing…He was a great human being.”
Bader Farwana's family gofundme This is to cover the funeral expenses and support her daughter.
It is unclear what led to the shooting, but police are investigating Bader Farwana's death as a homicide.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 269.337.8139 or silent observer 269.343.2100.
