Portland Man Sentenced in Connection with Drive-By Shooting

PORTLAND, Maine—A Portland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Abdikareem Hassan, 33, to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on July 30, 2021.

According to court records, on July 5, 2020, Hassan fired approximately five shots at the Portland Police Department Headquarters from a black Hyundai Tucson. Hassan was arrested during the early morning hours of July 6, 2020. Law enforcement recovered a gun with Hassan’s DNA on it near the scene of the shooting and bullet casings on the windshield of the Hyundai. Hassan is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction.

In pronouncing sentence, Chief Judge Levy stated 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 officers, cannot be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “It is only because of sheer luck that no one was killed or gravely injured as a result of Hassan’s actions. We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in partnership with our state, local and tribal partners, are committed to taking all possible steps to address violent crime in Maine.”

The FBI and the Portland Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.