Man charged in fatal downtown Minneapolis apartment shooting
UPDATE: On Dec. 15, 2022, Mohamed Zaher pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Original story below.
MINNEAPOLIS -- A man has been charged in connection to a fatal downtown Minneapolis apartment shooting on Sunday night.
Mohamed Ahmed Said Zaher, 21, was charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in Hennepin County on Wednesday.
Charges say that officers were dispatched to the Artistry on 10th apartment building after a witness said they saw a man throwing a gun from a balcony onto the WCCO-TV rooftop below.
Officers found Zaher in the lobby, who told them that his friend had been shot on the 13th floor. He appeared upset and had blood spatter on his hands, charges state.
The victim was identified as 31-year-old Ahmed Elsaied. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner says he died of a single gunshot wound to the head.
In a post-Miranda interview, Zaher said he was friends with Elsaied, and had been staying in that apartment for several months. He said the two of them were handling Elsaied's gun, and when he tried to pull the slide back, he had his finger on the trigger and the gun went off.
He said that after seeing that Elsaied was shot, he went to the balcony and threw the gun onto a nearby building.
Elsaied's death marked the 56th homicide of the year in Minneapolis.
Zaher is in custody. Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, if he is convicted.
