An 18-year-old Fargo man has been arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting a taxi driver in Moorhead while in the midst of a string of robberies.
The suspect was tracked down Wednesday night by police and booked into the Cass County jail in Fargo, where he awaits charges in Minnesota of second-degree murder and first-degree aggravated robbery.
The body of the taxi driver, 24-year-old Abdullahi M. Abdullahi, was found about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday by police in the wreckage of his van in the 300 block of S. 20th Street next to railroad tracks.
"The shooting occurred during a planned robbery," Moorhead police Capt. Deric Swenson said in a statement, "and it was determined the suspect and victim did not know each other."
Swenson said charges are being prepared against the teenager. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.
Police in Fargo are accusing the suspect of two violent crimes just hours before the taxi driver was found dead.
Shortly before midnight Tuesday, he was armed while attempting to rob a woman, police said. However, her screaming sent the suspect running.
The other occurred about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, when officers were dispatched about 1¼ miles north for a robbery, according to police.
Abdullahi, of Moorhead, worked for Fargo-based Doyle's Yellow Checker Cab.
An online fundraising campaign has been started to help his family with funeral costs and other expenses.
Paul Walsh
