DC police say the victim, Syed Hammad Hussain, and suspects did not

A Pakistani finance and IT professional killed inside his upscale Washington, D.C.

, condo building may have unknowingly let his attackers inside, mistaking them for fellow residents, police said.

At a news conference this week, Interim Metropolitan Police Department Chief Jeffrey W.

Carroll described the victim, Syed Hammad Hussain, 40, as “an innocent person,” saying investigators believe he opened the doors of The Zenith on February 11, assuming the group outside lived there, the Washington Post reports.

Authorities added that the suspects have not been connected to any other robberies or violent incidents.

Rico Rashaad Barnes, 36, of Northwest Washington, has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Hussain.

Authorities later also charged Alphonso Walker, 39, of Northwest Washington, with first-degree murder.

He was already in police custody on unrelated charges at the time of his arrest.

The incident began in the early morning hours of February 11, when Barnes and another man allegedly followed Hussain for several blocks from a fast-food restaurant to The Zenith, located in a typically low-crime Logan Circle neighborhood.

Surveillance footage cited by police shows Hussain entering the building around 1:35 a.m.

Moments later, one of the suspects approached a glass door and began banging on it until Hussain let him inside, apparently assuming that the man also lived there.

A second suspect followed, along with a third man who accompanied them and later cooperated with investigators.

Authorities say the group argued in a hallway before moving outside, where Hussain was punched and collapsed.

The third man then left the scene.

The two remaining suspects are accused of carrying Hussain back into the building and into his first-floor apartment, either by using an access code or a key fob, according to court documents obtained by the Post .

Roughly an hour later, at about 2:40 a.m., surveillance video shows the two suspects leaving the building.

One was seen pushing a bicycle and carrying two bags, while the other wore a leather jacket and a winter coat, which police say he did not have when he entered.

Emergency crews found Hussain’s body around 3:30 a.m.

after responding to reports of smoke in the building.

His apartment door was closed but unlocked, and inside, he was discovered face down in the living room with his hands and feet loosely tied with neckties.

Court records state Hussain suffered multiple skull fractures, and investigators found two 25-pound metal dumbbells near his body, along with signs he had been strangled and burned.

Police also reported the apartment had been ransacked, with laptop computers missing and a bicycle charger found without the bicycle.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Hussain’s family said his killing is devastating, remembering him as an outgoing, well-dressed professional, and vowing to follow the trial.

“He lived his life.

He was happy.” Syed K.

Hussain told the outlet.