The mother of a Kansas City man accused of deliberately running down a Muslim teenager says her son is mentally ill and didn't commit a hate crime.
By Amy Forliti, Associated Press
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Hawo Abdullahi of Minneapolis says her son, 34-year-old Ahmed H. Aden, needs help.
Authorities say Aden was driving a sport utility vehicle that hit 15-year-old Abdisamad Sheikh-Hussein on Thursday. The teen's legs were nearly severed and he died. Authorities are investigating it as a possible hate crime.
Abdullahi expressed her condolences to Sheikh-Hussein's family, but says his death wasn't a hate crime because her son -- who is also Somali and Muslim -- isn't in his right mind.
Minnesota court records show Aden was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2012, was committed to a hospital for treatment, and has a history of stopping medication.
In this photo provided by Fowsiya Aden is her brother, Ahmed H. Aden, who is accused of deliberately running down a Muslim teenager on Dec. 4, 2014 in Kansas City, Mo. Ahmed's mother says her son, 34, is mentally ill and didn t commit a hate crime. Minnesota court records show Aden was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2012, was committed to a hospital for treatment, and has a history of stopping medication. (AP Photo/Courtesy Fowsiya Aden)
In this Dec. 8, 2014 photo Hawo Abdullahi holds a picture of her son, Ahmed H. Aden, in her Minneapolis apartment. Abdullahi says her son, who is accused of deliberately running down a Muslim teenager in Kansas City, Mo., is mentally ill and didn t commit a hate crime. Minnesota court records show Aden was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2012, was committed to a hospital for treatment, and has a history of stopping medication. (AP Photo/Amy Forliti)