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Three men charged with fatal shooting
By Sarah Schulz
sarah.schulz@theindependent.com
Three gang members have been charged with murder for a confrontation with a perceived snitch that led to the shooting death of a Grand Island man early Thursday morning.
Abdi Abdullahi Mohamed, 24, 319 S. Walnut St., Apt. A, was charged in Hall County Court with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, second-degree assault and three counts of using a gun to commit a felony.
Mohamed Said Abdulkadir, 20, of 2107 W. Second St., was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and two counts of using a gun to commit a felony.
Ibrahim A. Farah, 28, of 319 S. Walnut St., Apt. A, was charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder and aiding and abetting attempted first-degree murder.
All three defendants are "documented gang members" from Columbus, Ohio, who have had "significant contacts" with law enforcement in Ohio, Colorado and Kentucky, Deputy Hall County Attorney Lynelle Homolka said in court on Friday. They have also been known to cause problems in Grand Island.
They were arrested by Grand Island police on Thursday in connection with the shooting death of Nyual Majak Angok Mathok, 24, of 619 E. Yund St., No. 1.
In court, Homolka said the three defendants went to 619 E. Yund St., No. 1, to confront Arkanjelo Manyut Kot, who they believed had called police about one of their friends who was wanted on a warrant.
Abdulkadir got into a fist fight with Kot. Mohamed then fired a gun, missing Kot and striking Mathok in the head, Homolka said. Mohamed then fired again and hit Kot in the foot, she said.
During the confrontation, Farah was heard by witnesses to yell, "Shoot him. Shoot him," Homolka said.
She said there is still a lot of investigation to do in the case, including as to whether Abdulkadir fired any shots.
Capt. Kerry Mehlin said the shooting was reported at 3:01 a.m. Thursday at the Autumn Wood Apartments on Yund Street.
Mehlin said an assault that was reported 10 minutes later at East First and North Kimball streets is related to the shooting. He said the matter is still being investigated.
Hall County Judge David Bush denied bonds for all three men and set their preliminary hearings for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 19.
If convicted, the men could each face up to life in prison without parole. If they aren't citizens of the United States, they could be removed from the country or denied naturalization.
All three men said they were unemployed, so Bush appointed the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy to represent Abdulkadir, who said he'd been in Grand Island since February. A local attorney, Jon Placke, was appointed to represent Farah, and the Hall County public defender's office will represent Mohamed.
After going over each man's rights, Bush asked if they had any questions.
With the help of an interpreter, Farah said he understood his rights and added, "but I didn't commit any crime."
Mohamed, who along with Abdulkadir speaks English, didn't have any questions for the judge.
"I'm not guilty," he said.
Three men left the courtroom following the arraignments. One of them identified himself as Abdulkadir's brother and said they are Somalian. He said he was from Ohio and had come to Grand Island Thursday night. The men said they didn't wish to speak to the media.
Abdi Abdullahi Mohamed, 24, 319 S. Walnut St., Apt. A, was charged in Hall County Court with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, second-degree assault and three counts of using a gun to commit a felony.
Mohamed Said Abdulkadir, 20, of 2107 W. Second St., was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and two counts of using a gun to commit a felony.
Ibrahim A. Farah, 28, of 319 S. Walnut St., Apt. A, was charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder and aiding and abetting attempted first-degree murder.
They were arrested by Grand Island police on Thursday in connection with the shooting death of Nyual Majak Angok Mathok, 24, of 619 E. Yund St., No. 1.
In court, Homolka said the three defendants went to 619 E. Yund St., No. 1, to confront Arkanjelo Manyut Kot, who they believed had called police about one of their friends who was wanted on a warrant.
Abdulkadir got into a fist fight with Kot. Mohamed then fired a gun, missing Kot and striking Mathok in the head, Homolka said. Mohamed then fired again and hit Kot in the foot, she said.
During the confrontation, Farah was heard by witnesses to yell, "Shoot him. Shoot him," Homolka said.
She said there is still a lot of investigation to do in the case, including as to whether Abdulkadir fired any shots.
Capt. Kerry Mehlin said the shooting was reported at 3:01 a.m. Thursday at the Autumn Wood Apartments on Yund Street.
Mehlin said an assault that was reported 10 minutes later at East First and North Kimball streets is related to the shooting. He said the matter is still being investigated.
Hall County Judge David Bush denied bonds for all three men and set their preliminary hearings for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 19.
If convicted, the men could each face up to life in prison without parole. If they aren't citizens of the United States, they could be removed from the country or denied naturalization.
All three men said they were unemployed, so Bush appointed the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy to represent Abdulkadir, who said he'd been in Grand Island since February. A local attorney, Jon Placke, was appointed to represent Farah, and the Hall County public defender's office will represent Mohamed.
After going over each man's rights, Bush asked if they had any questions.
With the help of an interpreter, Farah said he understood his rights and added, "but I didn't commit any crime."
Mohamed, who along with Abdulkadir speaks English, didn't have any questions for the judge.
"I'm not guilty," he said.
Three men left the courtroom following the arraignments. One of them identified himself as Abdulkadir's brother and said they are Somalian. He said he was from Ohio and had come to Grand Island Thursday night. The men said they didn't wish to speak to the media.
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