Above:The tragic death of a young man that sparked outrage
in the Ethiopian community has been ruled a homicide. (File)
Tadias Magazine
News Update
Updated: Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Washington, D.C. (Tadias) – The death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed, who died in October after a physical confrontation with five men associated with DC9 nightclub, has been ruled a homicide by the city’s medical examiner’s office.
“The family wishes to commend those at the Medical Examiner’s office for their hard work and dedication in helping to uncover that Ali’s death was a homicide,” family attorney Billy Martin said in the statement. “The family is confident that law enforcement will continue its investigation into Ali’s tragic death and that the Medical Examiner’s report is a step toward justice for Ali. The Medical Examiner’s findings, however, also reminds us that Ali suffered a cruel and senseless death. Ali did not deserve to die for allegedly breaking a window. The family remains heartbroken and cannot have peace until those responsible for Ali’s death are brought to justice.”
The victim died of “excited delirium associated with arrhythmogenic cardiac anomalies, alcohol intoxication and physical exertion with restraint manner,” the medical examiner’s office said – citing the manner of death as “homicide.” Per WaPo: “Although criminal charges in the case were dismissed because of the initial lack of autopsy findings, authorities said they would not be legally barred from refiling charges if new information warranted such a move. The autopsy finding of homicide appears to make a new criminal case likely.”
However, the U.S. attorney’s office issued the following press release saying the case is still under investigation: “The Medical Examiner has now completed an autopsy related to the unfortunate death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed. The Medical Examiner’s forensics examination has concluded that a variety of factors led to the death of Mr. Mohammed, and we intend to carefully study these conclusions as part of our legal analysis of this tragic incident. Our deliberate and comprehensive factual inquiry continues, and we again express our sincere appreciation to the family of Mr. Mohammed for their patience and understanding as we work to reach a just conclusion to our investigation.”
Ali, who was a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, came to the United States from Ethiopia in 1997. He graduated from Coolidge Senior High School in Washington, D.C. He died on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010 after the five DC9 employees allegedly chased, then tackled and beat him. The incident happened after he was denied entrance to the bar around 2:30 a.m., and after he allegedly returned to throw a brick through the window. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” Washington, D.C’s police chief Cathy Lanier had said at the time.
District prosecutors had initially charged the men with second-degree murder – which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault – but eventually dropped all charges noting insufficient evidence to support the case. “Dropping the charges enabled authorities to continue their investigation and preserved their option to refile charges,” according to The Washington Post. “The death and investigation has prompted intense responses both from supporters of the DC9 employees and from family and friends of Mohammed.”
The employees have said they are innocent.
Watch: Ali Ahmed’s Family Says Death Ruled Homicide
New York (Tadias) – Washington, D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration has voted to reinstate the liquor license for DC9, the nightclub that was shut down following an October incident in which five club employees – including former co-owner William Spieler – were accused of beating a man who died outside the bar. The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license after noting the circumstances of Ali Mohammed’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. The men had allegedly chased Ali then tackled and beat him after he was denied entrance to the bar around 2:30 a.m., and after he allegedly returned to throw a brick through the window. The employees have said they are innocent and prosecutors have dropped all charges, citing insufficient evidence to support the case.
Ali, who was a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, came to the United States from Ethiopia in 1997. He graduated from Coolidge Senior High School in Washington, D.C.
According to Cynthia Simms, spokeswoman for the liquor licensing board, the reopening of DC9 on Dec. 15 is attached to certain conditions. Simms said the decision will be reviewed at another hearing scheduled for January 19, 2011.
Per the The Washington Post: “Among other conditions of DC9’s reopening, the club will not be allowed to employ Spieler of any of the four other men involved in the Oct. 15 incident, Simms said. She said the board’s ruling could be reversed or altered Jan. 19 if more information about Mohammed’s death becomes available. Police and the medical examiner’s office are continuing to investigate the encounter on the street that night and Mohammed’s medical condition and injuries at the time, authorities said. They said they would not be legally barred from refiling criminal charges in the case if new information warranted such a move.”
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Photographs from Wednesday Dec. 1st, 2010 (Outside the ABRA office) Friends brave rainy day to gather outside 1250 U street. (Photo: Samson Balekier)
Taken on December 1, 2010 at 1250 U street in D.C. Photo by Samson Balekier.
Related: Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Liquor board rejects DC9 reopening
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The owners of District club DC9 lost a bid Wednesday to reopen after members of the District’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration unanimously voted to keep it shuttered in the wake of an October incident in which five club employees were accused of beating a man who died outside the popular nightspot.
District prosecutors dropped charges against the five employees on Nov. 5, saying evidence available at that point did not support the case.
The employees have said they are innocent.
DC9 is on Ninth Street near U Street in Northwest.
Another hearing on the club’s reopening is set for Dec. 1, said alcohol board spokeswoman Cynthia Simms. Read the story at The Washington Post.
Today’s photo: Friends and family stage a rally (Wednesday, November 17, 2010) Friends and family staged another rally on Wednesday morning, Nov 17 outside the hearing.
Photos by Samson Balekier.
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DC9 Poised to Regain Liquor License, Ali’s Friends Prepare to Protest Tadias Magazine
Video and Editorial
Published: Sunday, November 14, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The beating death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed continues to spark outrage and dismay in the Ethiopian American community. The murder charges filed against DC9 nightclub co-owner and four of its employees, which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault, have since been dismissed entirely citing the medical examiner’s determination that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with a brutal beating.
While the liquor license for DC9 was revoked following the incident, the bar has been granted a new hearing before the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, scheduled for Wednesday, November 17 at 9:30 a.m. “That hearing has been set because representatives for DC9 filed a request to the board that it reconsider its Nov. 1 decision to continue the bar’s suspension for at least 30 more days,” TBD reports. “This new hearing doesn’t necessarily supplant the already scheduled Dec. 1 status hearing, but if the Board decides to go ahead and take action on the case on Wednesday, it theoretically could.”
The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license last month after noting the circumstances of Ali’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. According to initial police reports, the young man who worked as a security guard at a local deli, was denied entry to the DC9 nightclub around 2:30 a.m., but he returned to throw a brick through the window. What followed next was described by Lanier as extralegal punishment against the victim. Five men chased Ali— including the club’s owner Bill Spieler and employees Darryl Carter, Reginald Phillips, Evan Preller, and Arthur Zaloga – then tackled and beat him, police said. When officers arrived, all five men were still on the scene and Ali was in critical condition, Lanier said. He was pronounced dead a short time later. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” the police chief had said.
Attorneys for the defendants have been aggressive in their attack of the police version of events, accusing the cops of rushing to judgement. According to the Washington City Paper, during an ABRA hearing earlier this month, “The defense played a radio call placed by the EMTs who picked up Mohammed the night he died. In a call to Howard University hospital, the emergency workers describe Mohammed as being a victim of cardiac arrest, not bludgeoning. They explain that Mohammed has had a “cardiac arrest after a fight.” They also recount that he went unconscious in the presence of police, contradicting the police version of events—which claims Mohammed was dead or very close to it when the first officer arrived on the scene. Throwing the wrench into the credibility of the EMTs, though, is the fact that they refer to the young Mohammed as a ’45-year-old.'”
Meanwhile, Ali’s parents are still awaiting proper explanation of what exactly happened to their son. Friends and family say they plan to stage another rally on Wednesday morning. At a gathering held last week outside the U.S. attorney’s office, the mother, Sashie Bule, who carried a sign bearing her son’s photo is reported by The Washington Post to have stated: “I need answers…I want to know what happened to my son. He didn’t deserve this.” Nunu Waco, Ali’s cousin, told The Washington Post, her family was shocked by the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges. “Our family deserves better,” she said. “American citizens deserve better.”
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. insists the investigation is continuing. “Our work is not done,” Machen said in a statement after all charges were dismissed by his office. “The tragic death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed demands that we undertake a careful and comprehensive investigation to determine precisely how he died. . . . The search for justice cannot be rushed, and we will continue to pursue an active and vigorous inquiry.”
Organizers say Wednesday’s gathering is scheduled near 12th and U street.
In the following video, Tadias TV documents the reactions of Ali’s friends and individuals in the community to the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges.
Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Related News Videos:
Related: Man Died After Beating Outside DC9 Nightclub (WUSA 9)
The owners of District club DC9 lost a bid Wednesday to reopen after members of the District’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration unanimously voted to keep it shuttered in the wake of an October incident in which five club employees were accused of beating a man who died outside the popular nightspot.
District prosecutors dropped charges against the five employees on Nov. 5, saying evidence available at that point did not support the case.
The employees have said they are innocent.
DC9 is on Ninth Street near U Street in Northwest.
Another hearing on the club’s reopening is set for Dec. 1, said alcohol board spokeswoman Cynthia Simms. Read the story at The Washington Post.
Today’s photo: Friends and family stage a rally (Wednesday, November 17, 2010) Friends and family staged another rally on Wednesday morning, Nov 17 outside the hearing.
Photos by Samson Balekier.
—————-
DC9 Poised to Regain Liquor License, Ali’s Friends Prepare to Protest Tadias Magazine
Video and Editorial
Published: Sunday, November 14, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The beating death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed continues to spark outrage and dismay in the Ethiopian American community. The murder charges filed against DC9 nightclub co-owner and four of its employees, which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault, have since been dismissed entirely citing the medical examiner’s determination that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with a brutal beating.
While the liquor license for DC9 was revoked following the incident, the bar has been granted a new hearing before the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, scheduled for Wednesday, November 17 at 9:30 a.m. “That hearing has been set because representatives for DC9 filed a request to the board that it reconsider its Nov. 1 decision to continue the bar’s suspension for at least 30 more days,” TBD reports. “This new hearing doesn’t necessarily supplant the already scheduled Dec. 1 status hearing, but if the Board decides to go ahead and take action on the case on Wednesday, it theoretically could.”
The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license last month after noting the circumstances of Ali’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. According to initial police reports, the young man who worked as a security guard at a local deli, was denied entry to the DC9 nightclub around 2:30 a.m., but he returned to throw a brick through the window. What followed next was described by Lanier as extralegal punishment against the victim. Five men chased Ali— including the club’s owner Bill Spieler and employees Darryl Carter, Reginald Phillips, Evan Preller, and Arthur Zaloga – then tackled and beat him, police said. When officers arrived, all five men were still on the scene and Ali was in critical condition, Lanier said. He was pronounced dead a short time later. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” the police chief had said.
Attorneys for the defendants have been aggressive in their attack of the police version of events, accusing the cops of rushing to judgement. According to the Washington City Paper, during an ABRA hearing earlier this month, “The defense played a radio call placed by the EMTs who picked up Mohammed the night he died. In a call to Howard University hospital, the emergency workers describe Mohammed as being a victim of cardiac arrest, not bludgeoning. They explain that Mohammed has had a “cardiac arrest after a fight.” They also recount that he went unconscious in the presence of police, contradicting the police version of events—which claims Mohammed was dead or very close to it when the first officer arrived on the scene. Throwing the wrench into the credibility of the EMTs, though, is the fact that they refer to the young Mohammed as a ’45-year-old.'”
Meanwhile, Ali’s parents are still awaiting proper explanation of what exactly happened to their son. Friends and family say they plan to stage another rally on Wednesday morning. At a gathering held last week outside the U.S. attorney’s office, the mother, Sashie Bule, who carried a sign bearing her son’s photo is reported by The Washington Post to have stated: “I need answers…I want to know what happened to my son. He didn’t deserve this.” Nunu Waco, Ali’s cousin, told The Washington Post, her family was shocked by the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges. “Our family deserves better,” she said. “American citizens deserve better.”
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. insists the investigation is continuing. “Our work is not done,” Machen said in a statement after all charges were dismissed by his office. “The tragic death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed demands that we undertake a careful and comprehensive investigation to determine precisely how he died. . . . The search for justice cannot be rushed, and we will continue to pursue an active and vigorous inquiry.”
Organizers say Wednesday’s gathering is scheduled near 12th and U street.
In the following video, Tadias TV documents the reactions of Ali’s friends and individuals in the community to the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges.
Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Related News Videos:
Related: Man Died After Beating Outside DC9 Nightclub (WUSA 9)
