On a late afternoon in March 2018, the life of 24-year-old Hasan Ishmae Abdul-Rabb, a male from the Pittsburgh area, was tragically cut short. His body was discovered lying in the street in the South Oakland neighborhood, the result of a fatal gunshot wound. The events that led to his death began to unfold as a purported drug transaction that took a violent and deadly turn.
Investigators determined that Abdul-Rabb had driven a rental car to Ward Street to meet with two men.
Those men were later identified as 22-year-old Shayne Andrew Craighead and 21-year-old Velmon Dowling. According to police reports, after Craighead and Dowling entered Abdul-Rabb's vehicle, an altercation ensued. It was during this confrontation that Craighead allegedly brandished a revolver and shot Abdul-Rabb. After the shooting, the two suspects fled the scene in the victim's rental car, leaving him in the street.
The investigation moved swiftly, aided by surveillance footage that captured the incident. The following day, police located and arrested both Craighead and Dowling. During questioning, Craighead reportedly confessed to the shooting and to disposing of the murder weapon by throwing it off a bridge. Both men were charged with homicide.
In March of 2019, Shayne Andrew Craighead pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, and other related charges. For his role in the death of Hasan Ishmae Abdul-Rabb, he was sentenced to serve 17 and a half to 40 years in prison. His accomplice, Velmon Dowling, was also charged with homicide in connection with the incident.
