Cedar Rapids man charged with attempted murder of 13-year-old

The incident, in January, happened at a gas station in northeast Cedar Rapids

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A Cedar Rapids man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he shot a 13-year-old boy in January, in retaliation for a different shooting.

Farhan Mohamed, 20, is charged with attempted murder, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, willful injury resulting in bodily injury, going armed with intent, reckless use of a firearm, and use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime.

According to a criminal complaint, Mohamed shot a 13-year-old boy — who is not identified in court documents — on Jan. 3 of this year, hitting him in two places.

The shooting happened near the Kwik Star at Center Point Road and 42nd Street NE. The 13-year-old was taken to a hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening, according to a press release issued by the police department at the time of the shooting. A vehicle was also damaged by shots fired.

Surveillance video from the Kwik Star showed shots being fired out of the driver’s side backseat of a gray van as it drove past the Kwik Star. Police collected five shell casings from the roadway, according to the complaint.

The day after the shooting, police made contact with Mohamed and a different 13-year-old boy — who also is not named in the documents — in the gray van that was seen in the video footage. Police believe the 13-year-old who was with Mohamed was the person driving the van during the shooting. Officers found another shell casing in the van that appeared to have been fired from the same gun as the shell casings found on the road, court records state.

The 13-year-old who was with Mohamed later reported to police that Mohamed was the person who shot at the other teen out of the back of the van, and police verified his statement using cellphone location data. Police believe the shooting was in retaliation for an earlier shooting, during which Mohamed and the driver of the van had been fired at.

A warrant was issued for Mohamed’s arrest on Monday, and he was booked into the Linn County Jail on Wednesday. He had his first appearance in court on Thursday and is being held on a cash-only $1 million bond. A no contact order has been filed on behalf of the victim.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com

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