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Mamadou Diallo, 26, was remembered by friends for his love of soccer and work ethic. He was killed in a shooting in Ferndale March 9.
Photo provided by the Ferndale Police Department
Terrell Simms
FERNDALE — An arrest has been made in the killing of a Senegalese immigrant and Detroit resident that occurred in Ferndale last month.
Terrell Simms, 39, of Oak Park, was arrested April 8 along with two other suspects for the shooting of Mamadou Diallo.
At approximately 1:45 a.m March 9, Diallo was working as a DoorDash delivery driver. He made a pickup at a White Castle on Woodward Avenue and began his route on southbound Woodward. It was here when Diallo came into contact with the suspects.
“As Mr. Diallo merged onto southbound Woodward Ave, a GMC truck speeding recklessly nearly collided with his vehicle before abruptly switching lanes,” Evan Ahlin, communications liaison for the Ferndale Police Department, said. “On reaching Eight Mile, the driver of the truck slowed down, waiting for Mr. Diallo to catch up. It is at this point investigators believe that six gunshots were fired from the suspect vehicle at Mr. Diallo’s car in an apparent road rage incident.”
The Ferndale Police Department was called for a report of gunshots in the area. When they arrived on the scene, they found Diallo outside his Ford Escape on the southbound Woodward Avenue bridge over Eight Mile with a gunshot wound in his torso. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Deputy Police Chief David Spellman extended the department’s condolences to Diallo’s friends and family and wanted to reassure the public and the Senegalese community that the shooting was “an isolated incident of road rage.”
“At the time of his murder, he was simply doing his job delivering food in the middle of the night. Sadly, Mr. Diallo’s life was cut short just a day before his 27th birthday. We recognize the fear and concern this incident has caused among the Ferndale and local Senegalese communities,” Spellman said. “We want to reassure you that this was an isolated incident of road rage. There is no ongoing threat to the public. Ferndale remains a safe place to live, work and visit.”
“I can say that we stand with (the Senegalese community), we grieve your loss and that we’re doing everything in our power to the best of our abilities to seek justice for Mr. Diallo,” he added.
This was the first murder to have taken place in Ferndale since 2016, according to Spellman.
Diallo, a 26-year-old who immigrated from Senegal in 2023, was described as a “respectful” man who came to the United States to help make money for his family.
“He was working, sending money to take care of his mom and to feed his brothers and sisters,” said Ousmane Ba, a close friend of Diallo and president of the Senegalese Association of Michigan. He also said Diallo’s mother had suffered a stroke and is bedridden, which led to Diallo coming to the U.S. to make money.
“Can you imagine someone who came to this country, I mean, working until, let’s say, 1 o’clock in the morning because they believe in the American dream, and then this happened?” he continued.
Seydi Sarr, another close friend of Diallo’s and founder of the African Bureau of Immigration and Social Affairs, said Diallo was taking English classes three to four times a week, never caused problems and loved to play soccer. Both Sarr and Ba said Diallo wanted to come to the U.S. to live the American dream.
“He wanted to go to school, he wanted to better himself and he wanted to take care of his family,” Sarr said. “That’s everybody else’s dream when you move from one state to another, is because you have better opportunities.”
Sarr and Ba are upset by the situation, but said they have faith that the justice system will do right by the situation.
“We are very upset, but there is nothing we can do,” Sarr said. “We are happy that the investigation is moving and that we are hoping that justice is going to be served, but we can’t replace who he is.”
“We believe in the American judicial system, and we don’t believe in anything else, and we just want the community to know that he was a very, very respectful and a very humane and a very polite human being,” added Ba. “We just want justice to be served.”
Along with two other individuals, Simms was arrested April 8 by Ferndale police with assistance from the FBI’s Oakland County task force that concentrates on violent gangs and crime.
Ahlin stated the two other suspects were released from custody pending further investigation.
Simms was arraigned in the 43rd District Court April 10 and charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of carrying a concealed weapon, one count of a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts related to felony firearms violations. He was denied bond and was scheduled to next appear in court at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 17.
While Spellman declined to comment on the two suspects who have been released, he did confirm that Simms is the suspected driver during the shooting.
Simms’ attorney, Adam Clements, could not be reached for comment at press time.
