Charges dropped against North Olmsted teen who said he shot his brother to protect their mom

Courts and JusticeA North Olmsted teen who told dispatchers he shot his brother to protect his mother is no longer facing murder charges, prosecutors said. (John Benson/cleveland.com)John Benson/cleveland.comBy Lucas Daprile, cleveland.comCLEVELAND, Ohio -- Prosecutors have dropped murder charges against a North Olmsted teen who told dispatchers he fatally shot his brother to protect their mom.On Thursday, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Lexi Bauer said the office declined to pursue murder charges against Ameen Farraj, 18, after a review from the office’s self-defense committee. Farraj told dispatchers he shot his brother, Abdulla Farraj, 22, earlier this month after the elder sibling attacked their mother.“It was determined that the State of Ohio would not have been able to meet our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Ameen Farraj was not acting in self defense,” Bauer said in a statement. On Sept. 16 around 2:45 p.m., police responded to a house on the 5100 block of Lucydale Ave. for a shooting. Ameen Farraj told a 911 dispatcher he shot his brother to protect their mother.“My brother was trying to attack my mother,” Ameen Farraj told a dispatcher. “I had to shoot him,” he told the dispatcher.Ameen Farraj’s sister also called 911 and told a dispatcher her older brother hit their mother and was then shot, according to a 911 call released after the incident.Later that day, Abdulla Farraj died at Fairview Hospital from a gunshot wound to the torso, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office. Ameen Farraj initially faced a charge of murder in Rocky River Municipal Court and was given a $1 million bond. As of Thursday morning, Cuyahoga County jail records showed he was no longer incarcerated there. On Wednesday afternoon, attorney Issa Elkhatib posted on social media saying he had been representing Ameen Farraj and that they were pleased to see the charges dropped. “Today, Ameen gets to go home,” Elkhatib said in a statement. Lucas Daprile is a news reporter focusing on courts for cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. He also writes a satirical advice column, Ask Lucas, typically once per week. He is a Northeast Ohio native who...