NORRISTOWN — A Norristown teenager charged as an adult in connection with his role in the robbery and shooting and wounding of a teenage girl in the borough is on his way to prison.
Muhammad Sabir, now 17, most recently of the 400 block of Sandy Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 2 to 4 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of robbery in connection with the Aug. 31, 2021, robbery and shooting incident in the 300 block of East Moore Street during which a 16-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to her buttocks.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement. The judge ordered Sabir to have no contact with the victim.
“This was a robbery where in the course of committing that theft he did commit an act of violence,” said Assistant District Attorney William Highland III, explaining the nature of Sabir’s guilty plea.
Sabir, who was 15 at the time of the incident, previously lost his bid to transfer his case to juvenile court where potential punishments are less harsh and the focus is more on rehabilitation and treatment.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Waeltz Jr. challenged Sabir’s request and argued to keep the case in adult criminal court due to the violent nature of the crime.
Waeltz and Highland sought state prison time against Sabir.
“The defendant decided to arm himself with a firearm and while this 16-year-old victim was not looking, pulled the trigger, striking her in the backside,” said Waeltz, adding prosecutors take gun crimes seriously.
In addition to suffering a gunshot wound, the victim suffered trauma and anxiety after the shooting, Waeltz said.
“She is doing better. She is still struggling as any 16-year-old girl would be after having been shot,” Waeltz said.
Defense lawyer Nicholas M. Fausto represented Sabir, who previously lived in the 1100 block of West Main Street.
The investigation began on Aug. 31 when Norristown police responded to the 300 block of East Moore Street for a report of a shooting victim and found the victim in the doorway of a residence in the block.
The victim reported she was alone outside the residence when she was approached by several male juveniles who stated “give it up,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Norristown detectives. The victim said that when she turned to enter her residence one of the males struck her in the face with a pistol and the other male shot her, according to court documents.
“I think this was a crime of opportunity. They knew that this was someone that they could easily target and believed that they would be able to take whatever she had,” Highland alleged.
The girl reported she was shot once in the buttocks and the bullet entered her artery, according to court papers.
The girl’s injuries required a medical helicopter to transport her to a hospital for treatment, detectives said.
Detectives recovered a 9mm fired cartridge casing on the sidewalk in front of the East Moore Street residence where the shooting took place.
Detectives also obtained video surveillance footage from the area that depicted four juvenile males walking toward the 300 block of East Moore Street shortly before the shooting. Court documents indicate detectives also received information from “a concerned citizen” who assisted in identifying suspects in the case.
Information obtained by police indicated Sabir was the shooter, according to court documents. Court records indicate a second 15-year-old boy was accused of pistol-whipping the girl during the incident and his case apparently was handled in juvenile court.
The victim told police both boys were in possession of firearms at the time of the attempted robbery and shooting.
In the charging documents, detectives explained that due to their ages Sabir and the second boy were not permitted to possess firearms and were not eligible to possess a permit to carry a concealed firearm.
Other charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, firearms not to be carried without a license, possession of a firearm by a minor, recklessly endangering another person and conspiracy were dismissed against Sabir as part of the plea agreement.