Man who killed Garland Lyft driver, shot at Plano police dept. investigated for terrorism
A man who shot and killed a Lyft driver in Garland on Sunday stole her car and drove to Plano Police Headquarters, where he tried to shoot people in the lobby before police fatally shot him, police said Monday.
FBI officials said at a livestreamed news conference with Garland and Plano police on Monday that they had investigated the suspect, Imran Ali Rasheed, 32, of Garland, between 2010 and 2013 to determine if he was a terroristic threat or if he supported terrorist organizations. He was not charged with a crime during that investigation.
The FBI is now investigating whether Rasheed’s actions Sunday were inspired by foreign terrorist organizations, authorities said at the news conference.
Rasheed left a note in the car after he killed Lyft driver Isabella Lewis, 26, authorities said. The FBI did not comment on what the note said.
“Our condolences go out to Isabella’s family, friends, and loved ones that are suffering right now,” said Matthew DeSarno, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas office. “I can assure you that the full resources of the FBI are working in close collaboration with our partners to get justice for Isabella.”
“At this point, we do not believe that the suspect, Imran Ali Rasheed, was provided assistance by others or that others were involved in these incidents,” DeSarno said. “However, it is a top investigative priority for us to determine the extent of his relationships and contacts.”
Garland police found Lewis just before noon Sunday. She had been shot in the 400 block of Forest Gate Drive and died at the scene, Garland police said. She was a driver for the ride share company Lyft, and Rasheed had hired her for a ride, police said.
Lewis’ stolen car was found outside of the Plano Police Department Headquarters at 909 14th St.
On Sunday afternoon, Rasheed walked into the police headquarters and shot at people in the lobby, according to Plano police. Police said he had been acting erratically outside headquarters, went into the lobby, left and returned with a gun.
He fired in the direction of a police employee helping someone in the lobby. The people were not hurt and took shelter in a room, police said. Two police officers responded to the gunfire in the lobby and shot Rasheed. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Garland and Plano police are working with the FBI to investigate the shootings.
Anyone who has information about Rasheed or his involvement in these incidents is asked to report it to tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 5:26 PM.
