Argument Touched Off Fatal Workplace Shooting In St. Louis, Police Say

St. Louis, MO – Thursday afternoon, two men and two women were shot and killed inside a home healthcare business on Cherokee Street in St. Louis following an argument, police say. The victims were all in their early 40s to mid-50s.

St. Louis Police Captain Michael Sack said, “The gentleman who killed the other three people inside the office appeared to have had an argument with the others and then at some point opened fire with a weapon.”

Shots first rang out around 1:40 pm at A K Home Healthcare. From what police can ascertain, surveillance video revealed the shooter, the apparent owner of the business, as he opened fire on three employees following a brief argument. Thereafter, the man shot himself.

The building was evacuated and no one else was injured in the incident.

Officers recovered a semiautomatic handgun from the crime scene, but are unsure as to the nature of the argument – whether it had been an ongoing issue or a spontaneous event – but it is possible it could have been a family dispute.

As of 6:30 pm that evening, investigators had not identified the victims, but did remove them from the premises.

While officers were on the scene, an unnamed woman and her nephew, Mohammed Ismail, 21, in apparent mourning, approached the business, but were turned away. According to Ismail, “All of the people, these are our family.”

Also, following the shooting, a fistfight broke out between two women near where reporters stood. The cause wasn’t clear and one woman was taken into custody.

The victims have since been identified as Khadra Muse, 44 – notably, public records list her as an owner of the business – Seaeed Abdulla, 29, and Bernice Solomon-Redd, 54. They had been hit in the face and torso by at least a dozen bullets. Police identified the gunman as Ahmed Dirir, 59, who died of a single gunshot wound to the temple.

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