Father accused of fatally shooting teenage daughter and her cousin



HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- The mother of 18-year-old Vanessa Zaman, who was killed alongside her cousin in Henrico County last week, says the man wanted for her murder is her father, according to WTVR.

Henrico Police say that 39-year-old Abdool Z. Zaman is wanted on two warrants of second-degree murder, but that those charges will likely be upgraded once he is apprehended and interviewed. They say he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Police said Vanessa Zaman and Leona Samlall were shot as they walked near an apartment building. Investigators say Zaman got out of his car and confronted the girls before shooting them in what appeared to be a fit of rage, sources said.

Crime insider sources say Samlall was briefly on a missing persons list in 2016, but later showed up safe in the Orlando, Florida area.

Those sources said Samlall is believed to have returned home to Henrico fleeing a rocky relationship.

Saveeda Barnes, who lives in New York, is devastated about the loss of her first born and only daughter Vanessa who she says reconnected with her father last year.

"Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time.”

Officers said Zaman, who was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, may be driving a silver Toyota Avalon or a gray 2009 Toyota Carolla Matrix with Florida tags 211-1RWM.