DETROIT - A domestic violence shooting in Detroit has led to the recovery of 18 firearms, including a machine gun, and a federal criminal complaint against one man, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Saliah Algahmi, 37, of Melvindale, Michigan, was charged in a criminal complaint with being unlawfully in possession of firearms and knowingly in receipt of counterfeit federal law enforcement badges. He was ordered detained by visiting United States Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen.
According to court records, the charges stem from an incident on May 19, 2023, when Algahmi’s wife reported that Algahmi had fired a gun at her while she sat in her vehicle. Fortunately, she was not injured. This incident led police to search a residence in Melvindale on June 8, 2023. In the residence, police found 18 firearms, various ammunition, and two fake police badges. The ongoing investigation has preliminarily determined, through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), that the firearm used during the domestic assault on May 19, 2023, was one of the 18 firearms recovered from the residence. Several of the firearms were stolen and or unregistered, one had an obliterated serial number, and at least one firearm is classified as a machine gun. Algahmi also was in possession of a counterfeit badge of the Drug Enforcement Administration and a fake Department of Defense federal law enforcement badge.
For unlawful possession of firearms, Algahmi faces a maximum of 15 years imprisonment.
“Through his illegal possession of an arsenal of 18 firearms, including a machine gun, and his willingness to use a firearm against a family member, this defendant represented an ongoing threat to the community," U.S. Attorney Ison said. “This threat has been stopped by the swift actions of law enforcement, and we are thankful this case did not result in someone being injured or killed."
“All people deserve to feel safe in their relationships. Alhahmi’s repeated use of firearms to commit domestic violence is unacceptable" said, ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir “ATF and our law enforcement partners remain resolute in holding violent offenders who threaten the safety of their family and our community accountable."
The United States Attorney’s Office and the ATF are focused on prosecuting those individuals who are using firearms to commit violent acts against people in the Eastern District of Michigan. The strategy is a part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN continues to be the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is an evidence-based program that focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to pursue lasting reductions in crime.
A complaint is only a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by ATF with the assistance from the Detroit Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Cowen, assigned to the Violent and Organized Crime Unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys