A member of the Tulalip Tribes has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for fatally shooting a friend who was helping him repair a car in his garage, capping a case that began with a dispute over noise from auto repairs and ended with a man shot three times. Abdul Qasim Ray Zahir was sentenced to 17 years followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and using a firearm in a crime of violence.
The victim was a friend of Zahir's who was assisting with auto repairs in a detached garage at Zahir's home on the Tulalip Reservation when the shooting happened on May 28, 2022, according to The Daily Herald. According to a statement posted by FBI Seattle
, Zahir killed the victim by shooting him multiple times at close range, all because of an argument.
A Dispute Over Auto-Repair Noise Turns Deadly
The fatal altercation began over noise from auto repairs, escalating after Zahir's cousin complained about the noise. Zahir then shot the approaching victim three times without physical provocation, per the U.S. Department of Justice. The Daily Herald's earlier reporting on the case noted that witnesses reported hearing approximately five gunshots inside the garage.
Federal court records released around the September sentencing detail that Zahir shot the victim in the back of the head, heart, and shoulder, and then refused to render emergency aid or allow others present to call 911, according to the Department of Justice. Responding Snohomish County sheriff's deputies found a trail of blood leading down the garage ramp to where the victim lay, the same reporting notes.
Firearm Possession and Prior Convictions
Zahir used a homemade firearm in the killing, the Justice Department said. He was legally prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions.
Those convictions included a 10-year federal prison sentence for drug trafficking, along with an earlier incident in which Zahir discharged a firearm during a robbery at a Costco warehouse. Federal prosecutors pointed to that history in urging a substantial prison term, arguing it was needed to protect the public from a repeat offender who had failed to learn from prior offenses, a point echoed by FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington, who said the sentence is meant to send a message that “the FBI and our law enforcement partners take violent crime seriously, both on tribal lands and throughout Washington state, especially those who have failed to learn their lesson from prior offenses.”
From Murder Charge to Manslaughter Plea
A federal grand jury originally indicted Zahir in May 2023 on charges including second-degree murder, firearm use during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. The Daily Herald has reported that voluntary manslaughter carries up to 15 years in prison, while using a firearm in a violent crime carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life.
As part of a federal plea agreement finalized in July 2024, Zahir also agreed to plead guilty to separate state charges in King County Superior Court for attempted robbery, illegal possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to KIRO 7. State prosecutors agreed to recommend that those sentences run concurrently with his federal prison time.
Joint Federal-Tribal Investigation
The homicide investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI Seattle Field Office and the Tulalip Police Department, as reported by FOX 13 Seattle.
