A 19-year-old Omaha man who helped his brother leave the scene of a fatal 2024 downtown Omaha shooting received two years of probation.
Before imposing the probation sentence on Abdikadir Lugendo Wednesday, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk said he hoped the young father would “take advantage” of the opportunities afforded by probation instead of incarceration.
In April, Lugendo pleaded no contest to being an accessory to manslaughter in connection with the Sept. 17, 2024, death of 26-year-old Ramon Tramble near South 16th and Farnam Streets.
David Wear, a prosecutor with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, said in court before the sentencing Wednesday that Lugendo helped his younger brother, the alleged shooter 18-year-old Murjan Lugendo, flee the scene and conceal evidence related to his sibling's involvement in Tramble’s death.
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Wear added Abdikadir Lugendo, who was 18 years old at the time of the shooting, helped his then 16-year-old brother evade arrest by, among other actions, denying to police that Murjan Lugendo was with him at the time the elder Lugendo left the scene.
Wear argued Abdikadir Lugendo’s involvement warranted incarceration, not probation.
“This crime caused serious harm. It caused a death,” Wear said in court.
Lugendo’s attorney, Jessica Gilgor, said Lugendo panicked and made a bad decision by running away after seeing Tramble get shot. She said Lugendo placed a high priority on family and was “merely” trying to protect his brother. Gilgor added that Abdikadir Lugendo, outside of the shooting, has lived a law-abiding life and is employed.
“He’s trying to show this is not who he is and this is not who he wants to be,” Gilgor said.
Brooklynn Burns, Tramble’s first cousin, said in court that the victim, Tramble, was a devoted father who was brave and determined. She added Tramble regularly lit up the room with his smile and laugh and enjoyed playing with kids.
“He had a personality that drew people in,” Burns said, adding Tramble’s death had led to the family bearing the “unbearable weight” of his absence.
Murjan Lugendo has been charged with manslaughter and attempted use of a gun to commit a felony. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8.
