Prosecutors: Rap song prompted Seattle hookah bar ambush Man shot 16 times; 3 now charged in attack

A long-simmering investigation into a 2015 shooting in a Seattle parking that saw a man shot 16 times has netted attempted murder charges against two more purported attackers.

A long-simmering investigation into a 2015 shooting in a Seattle parking that saw a man shot 16 times has netted attempted murder charges against two more purported attackers. Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Prosecutors: Rap song prompted Seattle hookah bar ambush 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A long-simmering investigation into a 2015 shooting in a Seattle parking that saw a man shot 16 times has netted attempted murder charges against two more purported attackers.

King County prosecutors say three men ambushed a sleepy Tukwila man inside a car parked at an International District hookah bar. The shooting, they say, was prompted by a disrespectful rap song and fueled by a gang turf war.

The most surprising thing about Jamal Rashad Woods-Hall is that he’s alive.

Woods-Hall, then 24, was riddled with bullets early on the morning of Aug. 23, 2015. He’d been parked outside a notorious International District hookah lounge when police say a group of men opened fire on him.

Shot in the temple and torso, Woods-Hall was rushed up First Hill to Haborview Medical Center. He narrowly survived his injuries.

Galma Adam Waqo, 22, was arrested shortly after the shooting and charged with attempted first-degree murder. Prosecutors last month filed similar charges against two other men – Tony Nguyen, 23, and Moris Morad-Kahen, 24.

Prosecutors say the men who shot Woods-Hall meant to kill him because of a rap video he published to Youtube. Rapping as “Milz,” Woods-Hall was less than respectful toward Nguyen and others.

“These men fired two weapons at least 38 times at close range and shot Woods-Hall sixteen times,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Adrienne McCoy said in court papers. “Though shot in the temple and throughout his body, Woods-Hall miraculously survived, but he remains significantly disabled, still striving to recover from his injuries.”

McCoy said Morad-Kahen was identified as a suspect after the 9mm pistol he used in another shooting was linked the ambush at Boren Avenue and South Main Street.

As police describe the incident, Woods-Hall was sleeping in a Mercedes sedan shortly after 3 a.m. when his three assailants approached. Woods-Hall woke and, when asked, told the men he was from Tukwila.

The car’s two other occupants ran moments before the other men yelled “Holly Park!” and opened fire on Woods-Hall, who was still sitting in the car, according to charging papers. At the time, gang members in south Seattle's Holly Park neighborhood were feuding with Tukwila-area gangs.

Badly hurt, Woods-Hall was treated by Seattle Fire Department medics and taken to Harborview. Police recovered 38 shell casings from the shooting scene, all of which are believed to have been fired by the attackers.

Investigators soon learned that Waqo, Morad-Kahen and Nguyen had been close to the shooting, according to charging papers. Only Waqo, though, is described as having been seen by witnesses firing a gun at Woods-Hall.

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Waqo was arrested later that morning at his Seattle home. According to charging papers, Waqo admitted to seeing the shooting start but claimed he did not participate in it.

Police say Morad-Kahen was only identified as a suspect after a separate shooting in Seattle.

Morad-Kahen is alleged to have told police he was driving alone in December when he was shot at. According to police reports, he claimed he returned fire with one of two 9mm Beretta pistols he carried. Morad-Kahen does not appear to have any criminal history that would preclude him from legally owning firearms.

Investigators reviewing the 24 9mm shell casings found after Woods-Hall discovered they matched the pistol found in Morad-Kahen’s car, a Seattle Police Department homicide detective said in court papers.

Confronted by police in July, Morad-Kahen is alleged to have claimed the pistol was “kind of a friend’s gun” before signing an affidavit attesting to his ownership of the weapon. Investigators have not claimed that any witnesses saw Morad-Kahen shoot Woods-Hall.

Morad-Kahen was arrested Aug. 17 and questioned by police. According to charging papers, he explained he knew Woods-Hall’s music but had never met him.

Writing the court, the Seattle detective said Nguyen has since been identified as having shot Woods-Hall. Nguyen denied any involvement in the shooting and claimed he was in Renton when it occurred.

All three men have been charged with attempted first-degree murder. All three remain jailed.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.