Thursday, July 07, 2016
Thursday, July 07, 2016
Meanwhile, Abdirahman Mohamed, 27, is beginning to show signs of improvement. While he remains in the ICU at University Hospital, family said Wednesday he is beginning to communicate through fluttering his eyelids and barely audible whispers.
Mohamed, a married father of 4, cannot breathe or eat on his own.
His blood pressure is so low doctors are unable to operate.
Because of damage to his spinal cord, doctors have said they do not expect him to walk again.
"He has heard doctors saying that in front of him and doctors somewhat explaining his situation. And when that happens you can see, the tear drops coming out.
He doesn't want to hear that," his cousin, Noor Yussuf, said Wednesday.
According to police, Mohamed, a driver with Yellow Cab, was responding to a a pick up when he was shot by an unknown person.
It happened in the early morning hours of Thursday, June 23, on 32nd and Hale avenues, in the Parkland neighborhood.
Yussuf said his cousin had waived fares in the past when customers did not have the money. He said he is certain if the gunman had asked for money, Mohamed would not have resisted.
Police called the crime against the Somali immigrant "senseless."
"Basically, he left a worn torn country to come to America, because he thought it was a safer place to live and raise his family, and tragically, he gets seriously wounded by a perpetrator just looking to steal $100 off him," Maj. Jimmy Harper, with the Second Division, said.
"We're looking for tips to solve the case. We don't solve any of our crimes without the community's help. "
Yellow Cab is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
"It would mean a lot to us just to see that person be brought to justice, to see that person face the consequences of their actions," Yussuf said.
Friends and co-workers of Mohamed have begun raising money to pay for his mounting medical bills and to fly his mother in from overseas.
In just 10 days, a GoFundMe account has raised over $10,000. Those wishing to help can click here.
Meanwhile, anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call 574-LMPD.