Abdullahi Mohamed Abdullahi, a 24-year-old Black / African American taxi driver, was found dead inside his cab after a single-vehicle crash in southern Moorhead, Minnesota, around 3:30 a.m. on May 5, 2021. First responders determined the crash was not the cause of death; Abdullahi had suffered a gunshot wound. Authorities later described the incident as a planned robbery.

Investigators from Moorhead and Fargo police, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office identified and arrested two suspects. An 18-year-old male from Fargo, Willie Sparkman Jr., was arrested that evening; a 17-year-old female was arrested soon after. Investigators say the two called a taxi intending to rob the driver, and that they did not know Abdullahi. Sparkman admitted to shooting the driver and said the robbery had been planned because they needed money for rent.

Sparkman was charged with second-degree unintentional murder while committing a felony and first-degree aggravated robbery. The 17-year-old was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, and attempted aggravated robbery; her name was not released because of her age. Does anyone have information about Abdullahi’s last shift or the sequence of events that night?