Thursday, September 8, 2011

Man shot at Greyhound Station In Springfield Has Died, Suspect Charged With First Degree Murder:

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Mohamed H. Dawod is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder and armed criminal action


The Greyhound Bus Station at 2425 N. Kearney in Springfield was closed for a time yesterday as police investigated a deadly shooting that took place near a ticket counter there shortly before 6 p.m. 
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Initial reports were that thirty two year-old Justin M. Hall, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, was shot in the back and was not and breathing when he was transported to a local hospital.  He died of his injuries a short time later.

Hall, and the alleged shooter, Mohamed H. Dawod, 25, of Glendale, Arizona, had been passengers on the same bus and there reportedly had not been any problems between the two during their journey that originated in Los Angeles (final destination St. Louis.)
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According to court documents, shortly after arriving in Springfield Dawod approached Hall and Patrick Beeman, a friend who had been traveling with Hall, while they were waiting in line to board another bus and asked, "if that was our bus."

Beeman told investigators that after he told Dawod it was he got in line behind him and Hall and he heard a loud bang and turned to see Hall lying on the ground with his hands up in a defensive manner yelling, "Hey, man."

Beeman and several other witnesses told detectives that Hall did nothing to provoke the random shooting.

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Witnesses say police arrived within a minute of shooting (photo courtesy KOLR/KOZL)
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A passenger who was about two feet away from the victim says Dawod walked up behind Hall and fired a handgun one time.  The victim fell to the ground, and it appeared the gunman tried to fire another shot, but the gun jammed with a live round in the chamber.  Another witness filmed a portion of the incident with his phone cam.
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Beeman, Eddie Pena and Don Manuel stormed Dawod, knocked the gun away and held him until police took him into custody.  Carlos Sabillon, a Greyhound employee, told investigators he heard Dawood yell, "Let me go, I'm not gonna shoot nobody no more."
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While being questioned at police headquarters, Dawod asked to be taken to a hospital for treatment of facial and other injuries he sustained in the scuffle with Beeman, Eddie Pena and Don Manuel.  Once back at headquarters Dawod said he had limited understanding of the English language and didn't understand his rights and wanted to speak to an attorney.

Authorities took statements from several witnesses at police headquarters before releasing them to complete their cross country travel. "This is going to be the only time, probably, to speak to them unless we go to their residences, and they're from all over the country," Lt. Scott Leven said.
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Dawod is being held without bail in the Greene County jail on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
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UPDATE 09-13-11:

According to search warrant returns, Dawod had 37 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition, was wearing a knife with a 9 and a 1/2 inch blade in a sheath on his belt.  Dawod also had a passport, several miscellaneous pieces of identification, a GPS system in his luggage.  He also had paperwork for accommodations in Boston in his possession.

The court documents show police found the following items in the gym bag:
  • boots
  • 9 shirts
  • a phone charger
  • bank records and other miscellaneous papers
  • four pairs of socks
  • a black nylon pouch, and
  • a remote control
Authorities found the following items in the backpack:
  • several miscellaneous items and papers
  • a bag
  • an inverter
  • a GPS device and GPS stand
  • a black ammunition magazine
  • 37 .22-caliber rifle rounds
  • a passport
  • a cellular telephone, and
  • miscellaneous identification cards for Dawod
The FBI has been brought in to assist in the investigation because of the "language barrier" of Dawod.  Authorities will not comment on if the attack could be connected to the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

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