SCHOOL PARKING LOT SHOOTER SENT TO PRISON FOR 12 YEARS

Portland — A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the attempted murder of another father following a dispute outside the Islamic School of Portland in 2024.

Noureddine Dib was sentenced Wednesday after a Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office prosecution argued for a sentence longer than the mandatory minimum of 7.5 years because of the violent circumstances surrounding the shooting.

According to prosecutors, Dib and victim Michael Zakarneh arrived at the Islamic School of Portland on Oct. 17, 2024, to pick up their children when an argument broke out in the parking lot. The confrontation escalated when Dib shot Zakarneh in the abdomen.

Authorities said Zakarneh fled for his life while Dib continued to pursue him, firing at least one more shot in his direction. During the escape, Zakarneh jumped down a flight of stairs toward the school, shattering bones in his right ankle. Prosecutors said Dib chased him around the school before eventually entering the building.

Zakarneh was able to escape to a nearby gas station, where bystanders rendered aid and called 911. Officers with the Portland Police Bureau arrested Dib without incident.

In April, a Multnomah County jury convicted Dib of attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Palmer prosecuted the case for the state.

“I think the sentence is appropriate for the circumstances,” Palmer said after sentencing. “It does address not just the injury caused to Mr. Zakarneh but the fact that this occurred at a school, the last place an attempted murder should ever take place.”

The district attorney’s office also credited Detectives Sara Clark and Laurent Bonczijk for their work investigating the case.