A 25-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to 12-and-a-half years in prison for the fatal shooting of a man defending his girlfriend at a St. Paul gas station in September.
Warsem Ahmed Abdihush, of St. Paul’s, was convicted in Ramsey County District Court of second-degree manslaughter—without intent, while committing a felony in the murder of 22-year-old Jarid Nedeau-Lyons, of St. Paul’s.
According to the criminal complaint, Abdihush was at a BP gas station on September 23 at 12:30 p.m. in White Bear and suburban avenues. He was having difficulty paying for gas using an app on his phone.
He came inside the shop to complain to the cashier. The complaint said the store manager told police that Abdihush knew the employees as someone who regularly caused problems at the station.
Officials say Abdihush became belligerent and threatened to spit on the cashier. In the store, a woman who knows the cashier defended the cashier, which further upset Abdihush.
Abdihush raised the sound of saliva collecting in his mouth as if he was going to spit on the woman. The manager intervened and took Abdihush out of the store, while the woman went to tell her boyfriend Nedeau-Lyons about the dispute.
The complaint states that Nedeau-Lyons came back with his girlfriend and confronted Abdihush, who was sitting in his vehicle, punching him in the face.
The complaint said Abdihush responded by grabbing a stolen 9mm handgun from the front passenger seat and shooting Nedeau-Lyon twice. As Neadeau-Lyons retreated to the rear of the vehicle, Abdihush came out and fired a third shot at him.
When officers arrived, they found Minnesota State Patrol personnel attempting to provide a life-saving effort to Nedeau-Lyon. He was taken to the regional hospital, where he was declared brought dead from a bullet injury in the heart.
Abdihush told police that he was defending himself when Nideau-Lyons punched him in the face. He said he left the scene and went to his girlfriend’s house in Minneapolis.
Police said several witnesses stepped forward with information that Abdihush’s arrest took place a day after the shooting. According to officials, a collaborative effort between Abdihush’s family and officials, who had previously made connections to community mobilization efforts, led to him being taken into custody without incident.
According to the complaint, Abdihush was “very upset” and asked if Nideau-Lyons was dead.
Minnesota court records show that Abdihush had previously only been convicted of having marijuana in a vehicle, as well as a driving offense or traffic violation.
