Suspect arrested in homeless camp murder

We’ve been reporting on a particularly troubled homeless encampment in south Minneapolis this summer. Police have now made an arrest in an August murder associated with the camp.

In custody in Hennepin County jail, charged with 2nd degree felony murder, is Ahmed Ali Abdi (a/k/a “Curly”), aged 37:

The encampment travels across south Minneapolis, but at the time of the incident, it was located on 3rd Ave. South near 33rd Street, on a privately-owned vacant lot. We filmed the location back on August 15:

Four days later, on August 19, police were called to the scene and arrived to find JaBraun Garron Hole, aged 33, lying mortally wounded on the sidewalk. He had been shot in the chest and died at the hospital, one day shy of his 34th birthday.

The homeless encampment was cleared that same evening by city authorities. We visited the next morning to record the aftermath.

Late afternoon on August 19, the police-installed security camera across the street recorded the incident: a fight began inside the encampment, a chase of the victim by several men ensued up and down 3rd Ave., and the victim was shot, allegedly by Mr. Abdi. The city then immediately cleared the camp. The official police report in the murder case cites Abdi’s address as “homeless, Minneapolis.”

Mr. Abdi’s local police record dates back to July 2021. He was cited for misdemeanor theft. Despite skipping a court date, his 30-day jail sentence was stayed and his probation ended in October 2023. At the time, he was listed at an address on Portland Avenue.

In November 2023, Abdi was arrested at the scene of a Pillsbury Ave. trespassing call, wielding a hatchet. Police found enough meth and fentanyl on his person to charge him with three felonies: a first-degree drug-selling charge and two lesser drug possession charges. He was still listed with a Portland Ave. address.

in a February 2024 plea deal, Abdi pled guilty to a single felony drug possession charge. The other two counts were dropped. His two-year prison sentence was stayed.

In April 2024, a probation violation report was filed in the drug case, for Abdi’s failure to report to his probation officer.

Abdi is due in court tomorrow (Monday) on a 2nd-degree murder charge, a felon-in-possession charge for the gun, and on the earlier probation violation. As has been his practice, a court language interpreter has been requested for tomorrow’s hearing.

Abdi appears to be in violation of several other probation conditions, including, but not limited to, obey all laws (Condition Nos. 1 and 10) and no guns (Condition No. 18). Abdi is being held in custody on $1 million bail.

If the charges are true, had Abdi served just half his of prison sentence, he would still be behind bars and his murder victim would have seen his 34th birthday.