Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 24, 1990 TAG: 9004240645
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Shaheed Omar, 40, was charged Monday night with the malicious wounding of Leon Robert Taylor.
Taylor, 39, was listed in very serious condition this morning at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck that could leave him paralyzed.
Omar said today that he shot in self-defense after Taylor and another man approached him in a threatening manner on Clifton Avenue Northwest - apparently angry about his allegations that they were drug dealers.
"This thing has been brewing for a long time," Omar said today. "There's no doubt in my mind at all" that the incident stemmed from an ongoing conflict between Taylor and himself, Omar said.
Ever since he conquered his heroin habit, Omar has been an ardent anti-drug advocate. He has lectured at public forums and taken his often outspoken style of activism to some of Northwest Roanoke's most drug-plagued areas.
Omar has not been afraid to level accusations against people whom he suspects are dealing drugs. And that, he said, caught up with him Monday night.
Omar said he first noticed that Taylor and another man were following him as he rode his bicycle on Clifton Avenue about 7:30 p.m. Monday. Omar, a Moslem, said he was on his way to a mosque to worship and to break a fast at sunset.
One of the men was armed with what Omar said was a long-barreled black handgun.
Omar said he first ran from the men, but fired one shot from a handgun he was carrying when Taylor continued to approach him.
Police said today that they found Taylor lying on his back in an alley at the rear of 2317 Clifton Ave. He had been shot once in the right side of his neck.
Omar was arrested a short time later at his home on Grayson Avenue Northwest and released on his own recognizance. Police said they recovered the gun used in the shooting.
The incident Monday was not the first time that Omar and Taylor have clashed.
At a hearing last October in Roanoke General District Court, Taylor was convicted of threatening Omar. A judge gave Taylor a 30-day suspended jail term and warned him to stay away from Omar.
In testimony at the hearing, Omar said he had warned his children not to associate with Taylor "because he was pushing drugs."
Taylor testified that he confronted Omar on Melrose Avenue because "I wanted to talk to him man-to-man and see why he was spreading rumors."
Omar worked closely last year with the city manager's Drug Strategy Task Force, often providing members with real-life examples of problems in the city's worst drug areas.
He has called for improved treatment for drug addicts, better drug-abuse education in the school system and a grand jury investigation of drug activity in Roanoke. He is especially concerned about crack's impact on the city's young, minority population.
In the task force report, Omar was credited for his "technical assistance and an unequalled spirit of enthusiasm."
by CNB