Minneapolis Gunmen Get 40 and 25 Years for Snellville Gang Hit That Killed Teddy Haile

A deadly ambush outside a home on Summit View Court in Snellville has ended with two Minneapolis men sentenced to decades behind bars, more than four years after they allegedly traveled over 1,000 miles to carry out what prosecutors initially believed was a gang-ordered hit. Abdulrahman Munye Haji-Sufi, now 24, was sentenced to 40 years with 30 to serve, while Salih Ahmad Abdi, also 24, received the same 40-year sentence with 25 years to serve. Both men were 19 years old when the shooting happened on January 7, 2022, and both pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The shooting killed 28-year-old Tewodros “Teddy” Haile and left 36-year-old Fahmi Omer Ahmed wounded after being shot six times, according to court and prosecution records reported by 11Alive. Ahmed survived. Police said at the time that both victims were armed, though that detail did little to explain why two men dressed in black and wearing masks opened fire before escaping in a white SUV, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.

According to Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office records, Haile had borrowed car keys from a friend whose Summit View Court home he and Ahmed were visiting that night. The friend rushed outside after hearing gunfire, just as Haile was attempting to drive away. Investigators say Haile was killed by a gunshot wound at the scene.

Prosecutors Concede the Motive Remains Unclear

Gwinnett prosecutors initially suspected the shooting was a gang-ordered hit, with a gang expert describing Abdi and Haji-Sufi as paid hitmen used by the organization, per Gwinnett prosecutors. Investigators identified the pair as members of the Somalian Outlawz criminal street gang, and Minneapolis police separately identified them the same way. But Gwinnett County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Ryan Smith has since acknowledged that investigators could not establish a definitive motive, according to the dossier's account of his August statements, even though the victims were linked to a duffel bag containing roughly 50 pounds of marijuana.

District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said the men's actions endangered the victims and the entire community, adding that “these young men have thrown away their lives.” The driver of the SUV used in the Snellville shooting was identified as a member of Chicago's Black Disciples street gang and has since died, according to case details reported by Fox 5 Atlanta.

A Cross-Country Trail of Violence

The Snellville shooting wasn't an isolated incident. Records show Abdi and Haji-Sufi were also linked to a shooting in Fayetteville, Georgia, on January 1, 2022 — just six days before the fatal Snellville attack. About a month after that, Gwinnett County Assistant District Attorney Aspen Talley reported, the pair traveled to San Diego, California, and shot three people at a public park in broad daylight.

The investigation eventually led authorities to Minneapolis, more than 1,000 miles from Snellville, before Covina police in California arrested Abdi and Haji-Sufi on February 14, 2022. Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents determined the white SUV used in the Snellville shooting was a rental, and the pair were later found in a vehicle containing disassembled gun parts connected to the San Diego shooting. The case ultimately involved the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Snellville and Gwinnett County police departments, and Minneapolis police working together across jurisdictions.

How Flock Cameras Cracked the Case

Investigators used Flock license plate reader cameras to trace the white SUV's movements after the shooting, a detail prosecutors say was indispensable to building the case. Ryan Smith put it bluntly: “If it wasn't for the Flock cameras, there would be no case.”

The technology's role in Gwinnett fits a broader pattern. A 2022 report by Gwinnett County community improvement districts found that Flock Safety cameras in the police department's Central Precinct helped recover 104 stolen vehicles valued at nearly $1.5 million and led to 199 arrests in 2021 alone, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That track record has made the cameras a go-to tool for Gwinnett investigators piecing together crimes that cross state lines.

Stacked Charges Under Georgia's Gang Law

The lengthy sentences stem from Georgia's Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, which mandates prison terms of 5 to 20 years per felony gang count that must run consecutively to other charges and cannot be suspended or probated, according to FindLaw. That statutory framework is what allowed prosecutors to stack Abdi's and Haji-Sufi's two gang counts on top of their aggravated assault and weapons charges into 40-year terms. Separately, revisions to Georgia criminal procedure law under O.C.G.A. § 17-6-1 now require judges to impose increased bail and mandatory no-contact orders barring anyone charged under the Street Gang Act from communicating with gang associates or victims while their case is pending.

This isn't the first time Gwinnett prosecutors have used that framework to hand down decades-long sentences tied to Snellville drug robberies. In December, Gwinnett County secured life without parole plus 80 years against 20-year-old Adrian “Draino” Johnson for a separate fatal gang-related marijuana robbery in Snellville, underscoring Austin-Gatson's office's continued focus on prosecuting gang violence connected to the drug trade in the area.