Neighbors called 911 to report shots fired before dawn near 23rd Avenue South & South Graham Street.

One neighbor looked out the window and saw the cab moving down the street.

An officer showed up 45 seconds later and found the cab driver had been shot several times, but could not be saved.

"It's really sad. I don't have the words to express... really sad," said friend, Muhammad Ali.

The driver's friends who came to the police scene say he was a hard working Somali immigrant who came to the U.S. 11-years ago.

"He had a wife and three young children. He was a cab driver part time, just to supplement his income," said friend, Omar Ahmed.

The driver only worked for Yellow Cab on weekends. The rest of the time he was an instructional aid for the Seattle Schools, helping Somali students adjust to American education.

"We are all shocked, not only his family. We all felt deep emotion toward him and his death," said long time friend Mustafa Dahir.

News of the driver's death spread quickly among other cabbies.

"Everybody is talking about it," said one driver waiting for a fare.

"I just have to feel sad and move on. And let the authorities and family deal with the loss," said another.

The victim's friends say he never worried about driving a cab. Nor did he think about the potential dangers. For him it was just about a second job to support his family.

Police say that witnesses saw two cars leaving the scene but no one got a good description of either.

Detectives are looking at the cab driver's logs for more clues.