Grand Jury Adds New Robberies, Gun Crimes to Charges Against 2 Central Ohio Men in July I-70 Shootout
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment that adds new charges against the two central Ohio men allegedly involved in the July 6 shooting of a Columbus police officer.
The 10-count superseding indictment now charges Faisal M. Darod, 23, of Columbus, with aiding and abetting four other robberies in addition to the originally charged robbery of Fifth Third bank in Hilliard on July 6. Darod is also charged with four counts of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the robberies.
Aden Abdullahi Jama, 20, of Reynoldsburg, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to bank robbery, two counts of aiding and abetting robberies and two counts of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the robberies.
The robberies to which the defendants allegedly aided and abetted include:
|
Date |
Location |
Defendant Charged |
|
June 21, 2023 |
GameStop on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard |
Darod |
|
July 3, 2023 |
Auto Gallery on Westerville Road in Minerva Park |
Darod |
|
July 5, 2023 |
Fifth Third Bank on Fishinger Road in Upper Arlington |
Darod & *Jama *accessory after the fact |
|
July 6, 2023 |
Byers Imports on North Hamilton Road in Whitehall |
Darod & Jama |
|
July 6, 2023 |
Fifth Third Bank on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard |
Darod & Jama |
The superseding indictment alleges Darod helped steal a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray from Auto Gallery, more than $75,000 from the Fifth Third in Upper Arlington, and multiple PlayStation gaming consoles.
Both men allegedly aided and abetted the theft of a 2020 Porsche Cayenne SUV from Byers Imports and more than $85,000 from the Fifth Third in Hilliard.
Columbus Police and other law enforcement officers encountered Darod and Jama on I-70 near downtown Columbus after the July 6 Fifth Third Bank robbery in Hilliard. A shootout followed during which a Columbus Police officer was severely injured and a third person in the car with Darod and Jama was killed.
The United States Marshals’ Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team arrested Darod in the early morning hours of July 7 outside his Columbus residence. U.S. Marshals and Homeland Security Investigation agents arrested Jama at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 8. The two remain in custody.
Aiding and abetting a bank robbery is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a potential penalty of at least five years and up to life in prison. Being an accessory after the fact of bank robbery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; the United States Marshals in Columbus and Chicago; ICE and HSI Chicago; the Whitehall, Minerva Parka and Upper Arlington police departments; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the superseding indictment returned today. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.
A superseding indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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