Abdirizak Mahamed Abader, a 27-year-old Black man from Mankato, Minnesota, was remembered by those who knew him for his kindness, compassion, and infectious smile. An obituary described him as a beloved member of his community and a devoted friend, always willing to help those in need. His family and friends recalled his positive attitude and unwavering generosity.
On the afternoon of May 16, 2024, police in Minneapolis responded to a call about a possible drug overdose in an alley in
the area of West Lake Street and Blaisdell Avenue in the Whittier neighborhood. When officers arrived around 2:15 p.m., they found Abdirizak Mahamed Abader not overdosing, but suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later determined his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest and officially ruled it a homicide. At the time, authorities noted that Abader may have been associated with a homeless encampment located near where he was found.
The investigation into the shooting relied heavily on surveillance footage from the nearby Karmal Mall. According to court documents, video showed Abader walking into the alley around 1:47 p.m. At 2:03 p.m., two other men were seen entering the same alley. A witness told police they heard three men arguing just before the shooting. Moments later, footage from a different camera captured a person reacting to what appeared to be a gunshot, followed by the two men running out of the alley. Investigators found a 9 mm cartridge near Abader's body.
Police soon identified the two men from the surveillance video as 19-year-old Adnan Hassanur Ismael of Minneapolis and 24-year-old Barkat Abdi Nour of Blaine. Both were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in Abader's death. When questioned, both men reportedly identified themselves in the footage. Nour admitted to walking down the alley but denied seeing Abader there, while Ismael offered no further statement.
The cases against the two men concluded with very different outcomes. In February 2025, Barkat Abdi Nour, then 25, entered a Norgaard guilty plea, a type of plea where the defendant claims to have no memory of the crime. He was sentenced to 12.5 years, or 150 months, in prison and was ordered to pay nearly $7,000 in restitution.
The following month, in March 2025, prosecutors dismissed all charges against the co-defendant, Adnan Hassanur Ismael. According to a court filing, the decision was made after a newly obtained statement from Ismael indicated there was no longer probable cause to support the charges against him.
