EDMONDS — Six days after the fatal shooting of a rideshare driver in Edmonds, police had not arrested a suspect.
In a statement Tuesday, Edmonds police called on witnesses to talk with detectives about the shooting death of Abdulkadir Shariff Gedi last week.
Locating the shooting suspect was the agency’s “top priority,” police wrote.
On Wednesday night, Gedi drove two customers from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to their home in Edmonds, police Cmdr. Josh McClure said. Police asked for the public’s help to find those customers — and finally did locate them for an interview on Tuesday. However, they did not see the actual shooting.
After Gedi dropped the passengers off around 10:15 p.m., he turned left at the intersection of Edmonds Way and 236th Street SW, according to police. A pedestrian was crossing the street at the same time.
Exactly what happened next remained under investigation, but police later determined it was a “chance encounter” with “no apparent altercation” before the suspect opened fire, authorities said.
Witnesses reported seeing a red sedan in the area “moments after the shooting,” the statement read. The department encouraged any passengers in the car to meet with detectives.
Officers arrived to find Gedi in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he later died.
Police believe the shooter and Gedi did not have a previous relationship.
Gedi was a beloved volunteer at the Abubakr Islamic Center in Tukwila, according to an online fundraiser for funeral expenses. The fundraiser had brought in over $13,000 as of Tuesday.
Gedi was employed by both Uber and Lyft, McClure said. It is unclear which service he was driving for at the time of his death.
The suspected shooter was last seen fleeing on foot east on 236th Street, according to police. Witnesses previously described the shooter as a young man, in his teens or early 20s, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and all-black clothing. He had curly, dark hair, police said.
Police urged anyone with tips to call 911. Information can also be directed to policetips@edmondswa.gov.
Maya Tizon: 425-339-3434; maya.tizon@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @mayatizon.
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