Somali community remembers husband, father who was killed
By Bridget Chavez
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PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — The Somali community is mourning the loss of Shaani Mohamed who was shot and killed March 27 in northeast Portland at 82nd Avenue and Milton Street. Portland police have not confirmed the victim’s identity but his family and family friend are speaking out to honor and remember him.
“He was a gentleman, a gentleman, very soft spoken, he was not the loudest man in the room,” Musse Olol, a family friend, said. “He was a family man, dedicated to his family.”
Olol said that Mohamed came to Portland about two decades ago seeking refuge.
“He came to Portland, Oregon to escape from certain violence from Somalia and this became his fate unfortunately in Portland where he sought refuge and safety,” Olol said.
He said that Mohamed was driving for Uber that night but we don’t know yet what led up to the shooting.
“As a matter of fact when this happened the first person who found out was his son, nine-year-old son, who called him to Facetime him and apparently someone else answered the phone and that’s how he found out and the family found out this was going on,” he said.
Olol has set up a GoFundMe for the family to help them during this difficult time.
“Anything helps even though we put numbers there and eventually it will help the family have some comfort and I would appreciate it with whatever you can to donate and help these families and help them survive through this challenging time,” Olol said.
“He was a member of our community, of our city, he was a taxpayer contributing to society and nevertheless we lost him to gun violence that’s been on the rise.”
Portland police have not made any arrests yet in this case but Olol is hopeful that whoever is responsible will be brought to justice.
“It’s going to be a closure to the family if we find the person but even more as a Portlander as a person in this part of the world there is a killer on the loose and we expect law enforcement to take care of him and put him where he belongs which is in jail,” Olol said.
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