Portland police have arrested a third suspect in the 2022 killing of Shaani Mohamed, a Somali immigrant, Uber driver, and father of eight whose death deeply shook the city’s Somali community.
Authorities announced that 41-year-old Shaperryia L. Lambert was taken into custody Wednesday in Northeast Portland and charged with second-degree murder.
Court records allege that Lambert participated in an attempted robbery that led to Mohamed being shot while trying to flee. She is being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center, and police said Mohamed’s family has been notified of the arrest.
Lambert is the third person charged in the case. Two other suspects, 28-year-old Justin Ortega-Mejia and 41-year-old Kaesha Green, were arrested earlier this year and face the same second-degree murder charges. Their joint trial is set to begin in December.
Mohamed, 39, was found fatally wounded inside his vehicle near Northeast Milton Street and Northeast 82nd Avenue around 9:30 p.m. on March 27, 2022.
Responding officers and medics attempted lifesaving measures, but he died at the scene. Investigators believe he had been working a late-night Uber shift when he was targeted during a robbery.
The neighborhood where Mohamed was killed—a small corridor along Northeast Milton—has experienced persistent gun violence, with multiple homicides and dozens of shooting incidents reported since 2021.
Mohamed immigrated to Portland nearly 20 years ago after fleeing conflict in Somalia. Friends and relatives describe him as soft-spoken, hardworking, and devoted to his family.
He was an avid soccer player and a former member of Walalo, Oregon’s first Somali football club.
He leaves behind his wife and eight children, ranging from toddlers to teenagers, two of whom have since graduated from high school.
“This arrest offers some relief, but it does not end the pain that this family continues to live with,” said Musse Olol, president of the Somali American Council of Oregon. “We hope the judicial process brings answers and accountability.”
A community-led GoFundMe campaign launched after Mohamed’s death has raised more than $60,000 to help support his family with living expenses and housing assistance.
