On the morning of September 12, 2021, 28-year-old Megan Lea Gustafson of Grand Forks was shot and later died at Altru Hospital. Officers had been dispatched to a residence in the 1300 block of 8th Avenue North around 1:32 a.m. for a report of a suspicious person and, while at the scene for that separate call, encountered Gustafson and a man inside the home. Officers heard a single gunshot from the residence; Gustafson then ran out, screamed, and collapsed on the lawn with a gunshot wound to the chin and neck.

The man who had been inside the home, 26-year-old Ahmed Mohamed Abdullahi, exited on his own and was taken into custody that night. A 9mm Taurus handgun was recovered. Investigators said Gustafson and Abdullahi were known to each other, though the exact nature of their relationship was part of the ongoing inquiry. Abdullahi was initially charged with manslaughter; charges were later upgraded to murder, and he faced additional felony counts alleging unlawful firearm possession and theft of the firearm.

If anyone knew Megan, her movements that night, or has information about what happened at that residence, please come forward.