Probe into imam’s death goes to Cox’s office
BY ERIC D. LAWRENCE
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Dearborn Police Department has forwarded the results of its investigation into last year’s fatal shooting of a local Muslim leader during an FBI-led raid to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah was shot 20 times Oct. 28 at a warehouse in Dearborn as federal agents sought to arrest him and 10 other people on suspicion of dealing in stolen goods.
“The investigators assigned to this incident conducted an exhaustive investigation, they reviewed statements from and interviewed all available witnesses (totaling over 80 individuals), collected and analyzed several items of evidence, and reviewed all related statements, reports and documents, which included the autopsy report, necropsy report and the ballistics report,” Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said in a news release Thursday.
He could not be reached for additional comment.
The FBI has defended its actions that day and during the two-year investigation that preceded the raid. Delays in the release of the autopsy report and completion of the police investigation fueled criticism of the case’s handling.
Joy Yearout, a spokeswoman for Cox, said the Attorney General’s Office is reviewing the results of the police and the FBI’s internal investigation.
“This is a serious investigation, and we’re trying to complete it in a timely manner while also being thorough,” Yearout said.
Nationally known forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht has completed his own review of Abdullah’s autopsy results for the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Dawud Walid, the group’s executive director, said Wecht is expected to discuss his findings in Detroit, possibly as early as next week.
“According to his report, there are some discrepancies between his findings and the Wayne County Medical Examiner,” Walid said.
