Minnesota gang members sentenced to decades in prison for shooting in Georgia neighborhood, prosecutors say

Two men from Minnesota will serve decades in jail in connection with a deadly double shooting that Georgia prosecutors say was a gang hit.

Salih Ahmad Abdi, 24, and Abdulrahman Munye Haji-Sufi, 24, both pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, two counts of violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Officials with the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office say the charges stem from a shooting in 2022 that killed 28-year-old Tewodros "Teddy" Haile and seriously injured 36-year-old Fahmi Omer Ahmed.

On Jan. 7, 2022, police were called to reports of two men shot near Summit View Court and found Haile dead at the scene. Witnesses told police that two masked men dressed in all black shot the victims and then drove off in a white SUV.

Investigators identified the SUV as a rental vehicle and determined that the suspected gunmen were from Minneapolis. Police in Minnesota identified the two men as members of the Somalian Outlawz gang, describing them as "expendable paid hitmen." Authorities believe they were also connected to a shooting on Jan. 1, 2022, in Fayetteville, Georgia, and a shooting in San Diego, California.

Police in Covina, California, arrested Abdi and Haji-Sufi on Feb. 14, 2022, in a car that had gun parts from the shooting in San Diego, officials say. 

"These young men have thrown away their lives," District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. "And their actions were a danger not only to the victims, but to the entire community where this shooting took place."

Both men were sentenced to 40 years, with Haji-Sufi serving 25 and Abdi serving 30 in prison.