SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 14, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A judge ruled on Friday afternoon that police-shooting victim Abdi Mohamed, whom Salt Lake District Attorney Sim Gill had sought to charge as an adult in a 2016 aggravated assault case and drug possession case, will instead be tried as a juvenile.
Prosecutors allege that on Feb. 27 of last year, Mohamed beat a man with a metal rake or broom handle outside the shelters in Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande neighborhood, and robbed the man of $1.10. Prosecutors accused Mohamed of dealing meth in the neighborhood.
The Salt Lake City Police Department said responding officers ordered Mohamed, then age 17, to drop the metal rod, which one officer reportedly thought was a sword. When Mohamed did not comply, he was shot four times.
A brief riot ensued, and officers responded from all over Northern Utah to regain control of the scene.
After immediate surgery, he recovered over a period of months, but still uses a wheelchair.
In August, Gill ruled that the officers were justified in shooting Mohamed, who is now 19. Gill charged Mohamed with first-degree felony aggravated robbery and second-degree felony drug possession with intent to distribute.
Third District Juvenile Judge Julie Lund told Mohamed on Friday that she was giving him a second chance, and “You need to make the most of it.” Mohamed said “I will.”
If tried as an adult, Mohamed would have faced a maximum sentence of life in prison. In juvenile court, he faces a stay in a juvenile detention center until age 21.
Mohamed will be back in court on May 17 for his next hearing.
Mohamed’s case has drawn international attention from groups that say police brutality was involved in the case.
