Iowa City man accused of interfering with homicide investigation

IOWA CITY — A local one-time Black Lives Matter movement leader whose apartment was the site of a fatal shooting tried to deter the investigation, police said.

Quincy Russom, 19, was found dead inside 615 S. Governor St., No. 6, the home of 20-year-old Mazin M. Mohamedali, at 7:53 p.m. Feb. 1. Police said 30 minutes transpired between the time Russom was killed and the time police were notified.

In a new criminal complaint, police allege Mohamedali had specific knowledge that Sammy Hamed, 22, had murdered Russom and waited to call 911. Police said Mohamedali lied during questioning, gave false descriptions of people involved and withheld other information that would have led police to Hamed more quickly.

Hamed was arrested later that month and faces a first-degree murder charge.

The criminal complaint alleges Mohamedali deleted his call history and Snapchat from his phone. In a recorded conversation, Mohamedali allegedly admitted to lying to police about the homicide and who was involved so police would not find out about the origin of guns tied to the investigation, police said.

Mohamedali faces one count of accessory after the fact, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Mohamedali was previously arrested on charges that spun out of the original homicide investigation. Police served a search warrant Feb. 24 at Mohamedali’s apartment and found 56.13 grams of marijuana in his closet and 42.5 ecstasy pills. He was arrested on two counts each of controlled substance violation and Iowa drug tax stamp violation and one count of keeping a drug house.

He is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 24.

Mohamedali, who previously identified himself as an Iowa Freedom Riders leader, was arrested in June 2020 for what authorities said were his actions during Black Lives Matter protests. He initially faced six charges, including a felony, and was jailed in Marshall County. But he ultimately pleaded guilty to just one simple misdemeanor.

Mohamedali was arrested May 1 and released from the Johnson County Jail later that day, according to jail records.

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