A 19-year-old Ashburn man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy over the weekend, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.
Deputies identified the suspect as Fadlalla Mohamed, who was taken into custody Sunday afternoon in Leesburg. Mohamed is also charged with use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center, authorities said.
The incident began around 5:58 p.m. Saturday, when deputies responded to a report of an injured person in the front passenger seat of a vehicle outside the Harris Teeter grocery store in Southern Walk Plaza. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators later determined the shooting occurred at a different location, in the 43000 block of Hillmont Terrace in the Broadlands neighborhood, and that another individual had transported the victim to the grocery store parking lot. That person is not considered a suspect, officials said.
Court documents indicate the shooting stemmed from a pre-arranged meeting between teenagers, and that Mohamed allegedly shot the victim in the neck without warning. The victim, a student at Riverside High School, has not been publicly identified due to his age. According to Fox 5 DC, Mohamed was out on a $1,000 bond in relation to another case. He was charged with having sex with a minor at least 15 years old and was due back in court in October when he committed his most recent crime. Mohamed also has other crimes on his record, including eluding police and reckless driving endangering life.
Sheriff Mike Chapman praised the rapid work of deputies and detectives, stating, “The arrest of a suspect in less than 24 hours is a tribute to their diligence and skills, and to the use of state-of-the-art technologies to identify and locate Mohamed”.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact Detective Whitehead at 703-777-1021 or submit anonymous tips to Loudoun County Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919 or through the sheriff’s office app.
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