Tukwila, WA — A 20-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a Washington woman during a violent robbery attempt at a Costco parking lot has been deported from Kenya and taken into FBI custody, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Salman Haji, who was 19 at the time of the January 2024 incident, is now facing federal charges for the murder of 67-year-old Yuam Ming in Tukwila. Haji was indicted in June 2024 for murder and attempted robbery after fleeing the country, prosecutors said Tuesday.
According to the indictment, Haji and an accomplice, 20-year-old Ilyiss Abdi, allegedly targeted Ming and her sister while the two women were loading groceries into their car. The suspects, authorities say, drove up in a stolen Porsche Cayenne and attempted to steal the women’s purse. During the altercation, Ming was shot and killed as she tried to protect her sister.
Surveillance footage captured the suspects earlier that day inside a Normandy Park grocery store and later at the Costco where the fatal encounter took place. The stolen Porsche had allegedly been taken at gunpoint from another woman earlier that day in Queen Anne Hill. The DOJ reports that Haji rear-ended the victim’s car to force her to pull over, then brandished a gun and stole her vehicle and money.
After the murder, Haji reportedly fled the country and was tracked down in East Africa. “Mr. Haji was deported from Kenya and taken into custody by the FBI,” DOJ Public Affairs Officer Emily Langlie confirmed.
“This defendant needs to be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman following Haji’s indictment last year.
As of Tuesday, Haji’s exact location and incarceration status remain unclear. The investigation is ongoing.
