A police cruiser outside the Maine Mall’s food court in South Portland on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, following a shooting.
The man wanted for allegedly shooting someone at the popular Maine Mall in South Portland Wednesday has turned himself in, police said Thursday.
Ahmed Basheer Awad, of Westbrook, surrendered outside the Cumberland County Jail about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. It's about 24 hours after the shooting took place.
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Awad was booked on charges of aggravated assault, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and carrying a concealed weapon, police said. He was being held on $100,000 cash bail ahead of his arraignment Friday; it wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak to the charges.
The gun Awad allegedly used — he was considered armed and dangerous while he was at large — hasn't been recovered. Police said they worked through a third party to arrange Awad's surrender, which occurred without incident.
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The person who was shot is expected to survive.
Police had released surveillance images of the suspected shooter, who was seen leaving the mall through the food court and getting into a silver, four-door sedan.
They said before his arrest that they had encountered Awad previously, believed he was living out of his car.
Anyone with information about the suspect or the shooting is asked to call Detective Lt. Christopher Todd at 207-799-5511, Ext. 7448 or email him at christo@southportland.gov. Anonymous tips can be left at 207-347-4100.
The mall was evacuated Wednesday as police responded to the initial report of an active shooter situation. Store owners were told to lock themselves in their businesses until they were told to come out.
The person who was shot, described by police as a man in his late 20s, was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland. Police said he was shot in the right leg, and paramedics likely saved his life. The victim underwent surgery and is doing well.
"I would like to thank those officers for their response to what they only knew to be an active shooter at the largest mall in Maine," South Portland Police Chief Dan Ahern said. "It was not until first units arrived that we determine this to be an isolated incident between two individuals and that the shooter may have already exited the mall."
Police said the victim told them he does not know the shooter but has not told them much else.
Ahern praised the first responders for their work on Wednesday, especially given that they thought they were responding to a mass casualty incident.
"We reviewed video surveillance of the food court, and when the shots rang out, people were fleeing, as you would imagine," he said. "It was a very, very difficult situation."
