TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) – A family was shocked after a series of disturbing events unfolded, leading up to a neighbor using a hazardous chemical and injecting it into their home, endangering their lives.
Umar Abdullah, a father, shared the harrowing experience of discovering the chemical threat that had invaded their living space.
The unsettling journey began with minor grievances voiced by a downstairs neighbor about noise disturbances. “So after my daughter was born in August last year, he complained like footsteps complain, door closing,” recounted Abdullah. However, what started as trivial complaints took an alarming turn.
The situation escalated in May, when a peculiar chemical odor wafted through their home. Frustratingly, attempts to pinpoint the source proved futile.
A month later, both Abdullah and his daughter started feeling ill. “My eyes started to burn and my daughter was coughing and throwing up,” he shared.
After taking matters into his own hands, Abdullah installed a concealed camera outside the premises to investigate the suspected tampering. What they uncovered shocked them. “And then we got our neighbor injecting something through our door,” Abdullah said, his voice heavy with disbelief.
What the footage captured on June 27th was chilling – their neighbor, Xuming Li, in the act of injecting an unidentified substance through their entry door.
“If we could not have found that incident on the camera, probably after a few days, we might have been just dead,” Abdullah said, acknowledging the gravity of the situation.
Xuming Li was arrested and now faces multiple charges including battery and possession of a controlled substance.
Records revealed that Li was a former Ph.D. student in the Chemistry Department at the University of South Florida (USF). A spokesperson from USF confirmed he was no longer enrolled as of the summer.
Abdullah expressed his disbelief that someone with such knowledge could use it for harm, remarking, “If people use their knowledge, this extreme knowledge to harm people, I mean, they can even be more dangerous.”
As the investigation continues, authorities await the final lab reports to determine the hazardous chemicals injected into the home.
Despite the arrest, Abdullah and his family remain uneasy.
“I can never expect a neighbor. I mean, I can never imagine to expect something like that to happen. I wish no one else would have to go through a situation like this ever in their life,” Abdullah expressed.
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