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SALT LAKE CITY — A man already accused of being involved in a shooting outside a troubled Salt Lake club over the summer has been arrested again.
Ahmednasir Mohammed Abdi, 19, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Thursday for investigation of two counts of being a restricted person in possession of a gun, and drug possession with intent to distribute.
Abdi was arrested in June following an exchange of gunshots outside the New Yorker, 60 W. Market Street. It was one of several violent incidents in the same area that weekend that prompted Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown to increase patrols in the area.
Abdi was charged with being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a second-degree felony; and five counts of shooting in the direction of another person, a third-degree felony. In November, prosecutors dropped the shooting charges. Interestingly, a judge then ruled that Abdi was not eligible for a justification hearing — during which Abdi could have argued that he acted in self-defense — because he was no longer charged with firing a weapon, according to court records.
After those charges were dropped, Abdi was released from the Salt Lake County Jail on Nov. 16 pending his next court date on his remaining charge. His next court date for that is scheduled for Jan. 12.
Investigators were tipped off that after Abdi was released from jail, he began posting pictures of himself with drugs and guns, according to a police booking affidavit filed with Abdi's arrest on Thursday. A search warrant was then obtained for his social media accounts.
Investigators found "multiple messages where the subject is seen sending back and forth messages with multiple individuals offering, arranging and distributing illegal narcotics. To be more specific, your affiant has seen messages with multiple individuals where he gives the prices of disposable THC cartridges, and raw marijuana plants," the affidavit states.
In addition, several pictures of Abdi holding firearms were also found, according to police. The social media posts were from Nov. 29 through Monday. A post on Monday appears to show Abdi firing a gun at a target in the desert near Grantsville, the affidavit states.
About 2 a.m. Thursday, the Salt Lake City Gang Unit and the Salt Lake City's SWAT team served a search warrant at Abdi's residence in West Valley City. THC vape cartridges were seized and Abdi was taken into custody.
