Man charged with murder in shooting at gas station in St. Paul’s Battle Creek neighborhood

A man has now been arrested and charged in connection to a shooting death in the Battle Creek neighborhood of St. Paul on Thursday.

Police reported Friday they arrested 24-year-old Warsame Ahmed Abdihoosh, of St. Paul, at about 3 p.m. Thursday in connection with the incident. Abdihoosh was charged Friday afternoon with two counts of second-degree murder.

At about 12:45 p.m. Thursday, police responded to reports of shots fired near White Bear and Suburban avenues and found Minnesota State troopers already attempting lifesaving measures on the victim, who was unresponsive and had two apparent gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.

In an update Friday, the Ramsey County medical examiner identified the man who died as 22-year-old Jarrid Neadeau-Lyons, of St. Paul.

A criminal complaint states officers found three 9mm shell casings in the parking lot. The gas station manager, who said he saw part of the incident, told police Abdihoosh regularly caused problems at the store and had caused issues again right before the shooting. A cashier told police Abdihoosh had gotten upset a previous time when he was carded and waved a gun around, threatening to shoot the cashier, the complaint states.

After the manager escorted Abdihoosh out of the store on Thursday, he told police he went into a room and then heard at least two gunshots.

The victim’s girlfriend told police she was in the gas station when Abdihoosh started giving the cashier a hard time about buying gas and threatened to spit on the cashier. The woman said Abdihoosh then left the store, walked to his vehicle, put a gun on the passenger’s seat and then came back in the store and continued giving the cashier a hard time. The woman knew the cashier and said something in defense of the cashier, and said Abdihoosh then acted like he was going to spit on her, so she went to her boyfriend, Neadeau-Lyons. After hearing Abdihoosh tried spitting on his girlfriend, Neadeau-Lyons went to Abdihoosh’s car and punched Abdihoosh, who then shot at Neadeau-Lyons several times.

Surveillance video showed Abdihoosh then got out of his vehicle and shot again at Neadeau-Lyons when he fell to the ground. Abdihoosh then drove away, the complaint states.

Officers went to the address Abdihoosh’s vehicle was registered under and found it parked near that location. The complaint also states officers saw a spent casing on the driver’s seat and had it towed.

It adds that an officer then called Abdihoosh and urged him to turn himself in. He then recounted what happened at the store, saying he didn’t know what to do. Police also noted he was upset and asked if the victim was dead before agreeing to turn himself in.

According to the complaint, in his interview with investigators, Abdihoosh said the gas pumps weren’t working and when he tried to ask for help, the employee was rude to him. That’s when Neadeau-Lyons’s girlfriend told him to leave and he threatened to spit on her. Abdihoosh said he "went into protection mode" when Neadeau-Lyons approached his car and punched him.

Officers didn’t find the gun used in the shooting, as Abdihoosh said he threw it from his car when he fled but it wasn’t where Abdihoosh said he threw it.

The incident marked the 28th homicide of the year in St. Paul.