EDMONDS, Wash — A suspect arrested Wednesday told police he had been drinking on the night of the deadly shooting and was deeply sorry for killing an Edmonds rideshare driver, according to court documents.
Abdikadir Shariif, 31, was killed in his car near 236th Street Southwest and Edmonds Way on Jan. 3.
The shooting happened just after 10:15 p.m. Police said Shariif was making a left-hand turn, and he nearly hit the suspect. Police said there was no “obvious altercation” between Shariif and the suspect.
Investigators said dashcam footage captured Shariif distracted and looking down at his phone, before nearly hitting the suspect in the crosswalk. The dashcam footage showed Shariif rolling down his window to apologize when the suspect immediately started shooting at him, police said in court documents. Shariif was taken to the hospital, where he died.
A week after the shooting, the suspect admitted to the shooting, according to probable cause documents. He told officers he had been drinking alcohol at his apartment and was on his way to a nearby Safeway to purchase more alcohol.
"He was adamant that he had grossly overreacted and was sorry for what he did," police said in court documents.
Before the suspect was arrested, detectives obtained Ring camera footage from the suspect's apartment. On the night of the shooting, investigators said the suspect was seen on the Ring camera running back to the apartment. He was captured saying, "Baby, holy ****! Let me in! Let me in right now! Oh my God!," according to court documents. Police said this recording was dated at 10:15 p.m. on Jan 3, around the time when 911 callers alerted police of the shooting.
Police said he was booked for second-degree murder on Wednesday in connection to Shariif's death.
"[Thanks] to Edmonds Police Department for doing their job and finding this culprit and holding him to the fullest extent of the law," said Mohamed Shariif, Abdikadir's brother.
The Seattle Rideshare Driver’s Association said Shariif had been a driver since 2015 and a member since 2018.
Shariif’s family and faith community are mourning his loss.
“It's very devastating," said Ahmed Mumin, executive director of the Seattle Rideshare Driver’s Association. "The father is in shock. When we talked to him, it was really a big shock, losing his son. He was a man who always volunteered at the mosque, and in fact, he used to love feeding birds at the mosque."
Mumin said Shariif was on the clock for Uber when the shooting happened.
“He was a very great man, very well loved and respected in the community,” Mumin said.