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Crime

According to MyEdmondsNews, Alex Waggoner was crossing the street legally on the night of Jan. 3, 2024, in Edmonds, Washington. He had been drinking and was headed to buy more liquor.

Out of nowhere, a vehicle driven by a 31-year-old Uber driver, Abdikadir Gedi Shariif, nearly ran him over. Shariiff was distracted by his phone during the incident and rolled down his window to apologize to Waggoner, but things didn’t go as planned.

Waggoner pulled out a gun and started blasting away, firing 11 shots. He then ran back to the place he shared with his girlfriend and her father. He didn’t tell anything about what he did.

Shariiff died at the hospital.

Authorities zeroed in on Waggoner, and when he talked to the detectives, he at first denied being involved in the shooting.

He claimed he was at home sleeping that night.

Police knew he was lying and asked him, “What do you think should happen to someone who shot and killed that guy?”

Waggoner responded, “They need to fucking bring justice to him,” and “There’s no way a normal person does that.”

Detectives questioned him for two hours, and according to MyEdmondsNews, they showed Waggoner a video still of him arriving back at his apartment after the shooting. Waggoner broke down and confessed to making a “horrible decision.”

He was hit with second-degree murder charges.

Trial

When Waggoner went to trial in July 2025, dash-cam footage showed that Shariiff rolled down his window and said “I’m sorry” before Waggoner started shooting. Prosecutors said Shariiff posed no threat to harm him.

Waggoner took the stand, saying he thought the rideshare driver was intentionally trying to mow him down.

He also said that he thought he saw Shariff pointing a gun at him, something he never mentioned during his interrogation.

When the prosecutor asked him why he never mentioned it before, he said, “I didn’t think the detectives cared.”

Waggoner further attempted to minimize his actions by claiming he only fired three times.

His lies were unconvincing, and according to KOMONews, the jury convicted him of second-degree murder. The conviction carried a “deadly weapon” special verdict, which carries a mandatory five-year prison sentence.

Sentencing

When he returned to court for sentencing in September 2025, several of the victim’s family members spoke, including Laila Hassan, who called Shariff her “favorite cousin.” She also said, “His absence is felt, making this place feel empty,” the MyEdmondsNews reported.

Waggoner’s defense attorney attempted to blame YouTube, claiming his client had been watching numerous Second Amendment and self-defense videos on the platform.

He requested a 10-year sentence from the judge.

Waggoner was given the chance to speak next, and he apologized for his actions.

To some, Waggoner may have sounded remorseful, but the judge didn’t feel his words were genuine.

According to KOMONews, the judge also criticized Waggoner for trying to use YouTube as an excuse for his actions saying, “”It wasn’t about watching videos. There are lots of videos on gun safety, lots of videos on protecting yourself.

Not one video says take out your gun and shoot somebody in the dark when somebody is trying to apologize to you for a mistake.”

According to MyEdmondsNews, the judge sentenced the 23-year-old to 19 years and 7 months in prison. After his release, he will be on 36-months of community custody. The victim’s family thought the sentence was too light.

Waggoner will likely return to the streets in his late 30s.