Suspect arrested in case of shooting death of Somali student

One week after the murder of 20-year-old Augsburg student Ahmednur Ali, the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of a suspect in the case.

According to MPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Jesse Garcia, a juvenile male is being held in the Juvenile Detention Center while the case is being reviewed by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. No charges were mentioned in the emailed statement from Garcia.

On Monday, Sept. 22, Ali was shot at 5 p.m. outside the Brian Coyle Community Center, 420 15th Ave. S., It was his first day of a work-study job tutoring children at the center.

The arrest comes days after members of the Cedar-Riverside community — especially but not only Somalis — met at the Brian Coyle Community Center, not only to mourn the death of yet another young man, but to vent their anger and discuss strategies for dealing with what many who spoke said is the worst crime they have seen in the neighborhood.

Of the messages of the many various stakeholders who spoke — Somali elders, mothers and youth; longtime residents; police and public officials; college and university representatives; and leaders from Pillsbury United Communities, which runs the Coyle Center — there was one common thread: the community must come forward with information to help police find the killers.

It appears that message was heard. In his Sept. 29 release, Garcia said MPD investigators credited witnesses who came forth with information. In addition, Garcia noted the Coyle Center’s highlight of “a new cooperative effort between the Somali community and police in their efforts to help with this arrest.”