McDONALD COUNTY — The pistol-whipping and shooting of a Noel man by four Kansas City residents is believed to be connected to Somalian gang activities, according to McDonald County Sheriff Robert Evenson.
Ahmed Mohamed Abdi was at his apartment located on the east edge of Noel when four Somali men came into his house, assaulted him and then shot him once in the jaw,Evenson said.
“They were hitting the victim with the pistol and the gun discharged,” Evenson said. “We don’t think they meant to shoot him.”
“Three of the men are from the Kansas City area and one lives both in Kansas City and Noel,” Evenson said.
Abdi was treated and released the same day from a Joplin hospital. “It didn’t hit any bone,” Evenson said. “He was very lucky. It could have been much worse.”
Evenson said authorities are looking for Jajib “Buck” Rafl e, of Kansas City and Noel, forquestioning in the incident. Anyone with information on Rafl e or the incident is asked to call the Sheri◊’s O◊ce at 417-223-4319 or call 9-1-1 and ask for the Sheri◊’s O◊ce.
“We believe the incident is connected to some gang involvement in the drug trade,” Evenson said.
News, Pages 1 on 08/30/2012