A Portland man will spend the next four years in prison for his role last summer in a drive-by shooting that targeted the Portland police station.
Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced 33-year-old Abdikareem Hassan last week for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release issued by U. S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee. After serving his prison term, Hassan will be subject to three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the charge on July 30, 2021.
Hassan fired approximately five shots at Portland Police Department headquarters on July 5, 2020, just one month after demonstrations protesting the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer swept through Portland and across the nation. The release did not link the drive-by shooting to the protests though most of the demonstrations in Portland started and ended at the police station.
According to court records, Hassan drove past the police station in a black-colored Hyundai Tucson and fired several shots on July 5. He was arrested during the early morning hours of July 6. An investigation by police led to the recovery of a gun with Hassan’s DNA on it near the scene of the shooting, as well as bullet casings on the Hyundai’s windshield. Hassan was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction.
Levy told the court that Hassan’s conduct posed “a grave danger to the community” and reflected “complete disregard for the welfare of other people.”
“Violence directed at anyone, including law enforcement, cannot be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney McElwee said. “It is only because of sheer luck that no one was killed or gravely injured as a result of Hassan’s actions.”
“The actions of Abdikareem Hassan put our officers and our community in grave danger,” Portland Police Chief Heath Gorham said.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Portland Police Department with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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