In the quiet town of Cheektowaga, New York, a horrific tragedy unfolded on June 1, 2026, forever shattering a family and startling the community. On that day, 3-year-old Saif Mohamed, a young male, was found deceased in his home on Ellen Drive. Alongside him were the bodies of his 4-year-old brother, Yousseff Mohamed, and their 26-year-old mother, Aaisha Abdulla.
The discovery was made by Cheektowaga Police officers who were responding to a 911 call for a welfare check at the residence at approximately 3:30 p.m. All three victims had suffered fatal gunshot wounds. The peaceful suburban street was soon flooded with police cars and investigators, as neighbors watched in disbelief at the grim scene unfolding before them. The home that once housed a young family had become the site of a devastating triple homicide. The initial shock soon gave way to a search for answers and a desperate plea for justice for the young mother and her two small children.
The investigation into the brutal killings quickly led to a prime suspect: Saleh Mohamed, the 29-year-old husband of Aaisha and the father of Saif and Yousseff. In a shocking turn of events, Saleh Mohamed was apprehended when he returned to the Ellen Drive home while police were still processing the scene. His arrest, however, was not only in connection with the deaths of his wife and children. Investigators soon linked him to another murder that had occurred earlier the same day in Buffalo. At approximately 2:38 p.m., just under an hour before his family was discovered, Saleh Mohamed is alleged to have shot and killed 43-year-old Shukri Muthana, a store clerk at a convenience store on Grant Street. This revelation painted a picture of a man on a violent rampage that spanned two separate locations and claimed four innocent lives in a matter of hours. The motive for the killings was not immediately clear, leaving both law enforcement and the public to grapple with the senselessness of the violence.
Following his arrest, Saleh Mohamed was charged with a litany of crimes, including three counts of Murder in the First Degree and four counts of Murder in the Second Degree. He was arraigned in Cheektowaga Town Court and Buffalo City Court, where the gravity of his alleged actions was laid bare. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, he appeared in court on his 29th birthday, a somber and surreal milestone given the circumstances. He is currently being held without bail as the legal process moves forward. The Erie County District Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case, and a pre-trial conference was held in early July 2026. If convicted of the highest charges, Saleh Mohamed faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case stands as a chilling reminder of the devastating impact of domestic violence, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a mother and her two young sons, whose lives were tragically cut short.
