Man arrested in connection with shooting that targeted Utah Islamic Center imam

SANDY — A man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that targeted the leader of the West Jordan-based Utah Islamic Center, police announced Saturday.

Abdul Raouf Afridi, 39, was booked into jail for investigation of 12 counts of aggravated assault, felony discharge of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, dangerous discharge of a weapon from a vehicle, and possession of a weapon as a restricted person.

The victim had left his house Monday night and was taking his usual route to his workplace when a vehicle parked on the side of the road pointed a gun toward him, according to a police booking affidavit. The driver called 911 and kept driving before stopping in a two-way turn lane, when the suspect vehicle pulled up next to him and started shooting at his vehicle, police said.

The shooting occurred about 7:30 p.m. near the intersection of 700 West and 9000 South in Sandy. The victim's car was hit seven or eight times, according to Sandy Police Sgt. Michael Olsen. No one was injured.

While police didn't name the victim, the Utah Islamic Center identified Shuaib Din, the imam of the Utah Islamic Center, as the target in a Facebook post Monday night.

Through surveillance footage and witness interviews, police determined the shooter had been driving a white Kia Optima owned by Afridi. Police located the vehicle and discovered a handgun magazine, bullets and shell casings in the car, the police affidavit said.

Police spoke with Afridi's wife, who said he suffers from schizoaffective disorder, he is currently not on his medications and she was unaware of his location, the booking affidavit said.

"She stated that his behavior has been increasingly erratic," and he had not returned to the house since a domestic violence incident occurred on Feb. 13, police said.

Afridi was located at a family member's home using phone data from his wife. Afridi's phone data showed he had been in the area of the crime scene, then fled to Las Vegas before returning to South Salt Lake.

On Friday, Afridi went to the police department asking about a warrant left at the car dealership he owned and said he was there to turn himself in, police said. Afridi was smoking marijuana when he arrived, the police booking affidavit said.

During an interview with police, Afridi claimed he had amnesia from the last week, had been in Vegas during the time of the crime and did not know the location of his phone. Marijuana was located in the vehicle he drove to the police station, according to police.

Police believe the "suspect attempted to kill the victim by waiting for them to leave their residence and then fired multiple shots at the victim while the victim was driving. The victim reported to officers he was in fear for his safety," the police booking affidavit states. "Because the shooting occurred on a public roadway with other nearby traffic, the suspect clearly showed no regard for the safety of others."

"We can confirm that Mr. Afridi was known to the victim prior to the shooting," Sandy police said in a statement.

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