‘He was in a rage’: Teen beat Charlotte group home worker to death over cell phone time: Report
Editor’s warning: The following contains graphic details of a murder. Reader discretion is advised.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Details of what led up to the brutal murder of a man at a Charlotte group home last January are now being released in a report by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).
On Thursday, Jan. 4, a 16-year-old resident referred to as “FC” is accused in the deadly beating of Ganiyu Ibrahim, 59, a worker at Miracle Houses’ Swearngan Road site.
FC’s History
According to the NCDHHS report, “FC” was sent to a juvenile detention center in June 2022 for “physically aggressive behavior”. It’s not clear how long he was detained or when he was released.
“FC” had been admitted into the group home system in October 2023 for a history of aggressive behavior and violent outbursts.
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In a clinical assessment, it was determined that “FC” would need one-on-one help and 24/7/365 supervision to control his anger and “constant threatening” of staff and other residents.
The report continues that “FC” would have explosive episodes, verbal aggression, and difficulty following directions about four days a week.
“FC” was discharged from the group home system the day after the homicide and his arrest.
The January 4 attack
Around 6:50 p.m. on Jan. 4, Ganiyu Ibrahim, who was working one-on-one with “FC,” allowed the teen to make a phone call to his mother. Ibrahim warned “FC” he would have 10 minutes instead of 15 minutes because phone hours were about to end, according to the NCDHHS report.
“FC” agreed at first, but became frustrated when Ibrahim gave “FC” a 1-minute warning to wrap up his call. “FC” was angry and cursed at staff before going outside for about 5 minutes.
When “FC” went inside, Ibrahim told him a search would be required.
“FC” refused the search and claimed that Ibrahim could not tell the teen when to get off the phone with his mother. “FC” continued to curse at staff before trying to call his mother again.
Ibrahim called a third staff member, who tried to calm “FC” down over the phone. She was still on speakerphone when “FC” started to attack and punch Ibrahim in the face multiple times.
The report says Ibrahim restrained “FC” using NCI (Nonviolent Crisis Intervention) Prevention for about 3–5 minutes before letting go of “FC”.
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The teen appeared calm at first but, upon release, “FC” continued to attack Ibrahim, who blocked the hits. Ibrahim tried to maneuver from the living room to the office but tripped over the couch, falling to the floor.
“FC” continued to pummel Ibrahim on the floor, hitting the worker with closed fists and stomping on Ibrahim’s head. When verbal threats from other residents distracted “FC,” a staff member in training tried to intervene, the report says.
Ibrahim managed to get up and go into the office, but “FC” followed the worker and broke the phone when Ibrahim attempted to call 911.
Two more attacks ensued, with Ibrahim falling to the floor again as blows to his head, face, and neck. The other staff member tried to intervene and called 911 at least twice, saying that Ibrahim may be unconscious.
“FC” went outside for a moment while another resident checked on Ibrahim. When “FC” returned, he said to leave Ibrahim. Another resident can be heard on video pleading with “FC” to “Leave him alone.”
The report continues that “FC” dragged Ibrahim out of the home, down some steps, and onto some grass. The teen continued to beat Ibrahim before declaring that Ibrahim was dead and yelling out some things related to being a gang member.
The other staff member placed a few calls, including to the executive director and to the third staff member who was not at the home. “FC” went back inside the house to look through drawers in the staff office. One of the residents then tried to clean up blood in the office and kitchen.
“FC” then fled north down Swearingan Ridge Court when the third staff member arrived at the home to find Ibrahim gasping for air. This person also called 911 and started to give CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) until medics could arrive.
The neighbors called 911 at least twice during the incident.
A Charlotte Mecklenburg Police officer says he arrived at the home around 7:25 p.m. The call was assigned to other officers; however, this officer was added to the call when first responders heard that Ibrahim was not breathing.
The officer says he arrived after medics and firefighters had already taken over CPR. At this time, Ibrahim was still outside the home and not breathing. “FC” had fled down the street.
A staff member told police what happened and gave them a description of “FC”. An officer noted that there was blood in several rooms of the home.
Just after 8 p.m., medics declared Ibrahim dead and CPR stopped.
A police K9 searched the neighborhood for “FC” but could not find him. “FC” later returned to the home covered in blood and surrendered to police at the scene.
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What happened to the other juveniles?
The three other juvenile residents were removed from the home and separated ahead of interviews at a police station.
In the end, only one young resident talked with police, but the juvenile is quoted as saying, “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” when asked about the incident about a month later.
A second resident was not interviewed because their guardian did not think it was a good idea, saying that the child was showing signs of trauma after the incident.
The staff member in training
According to the report, the other staff member present for the attack was just three hours into her first day of training. She had been officially hired the day before.
“I was told there would be two guys there to train me,” she said. “But when I got there, it was only one [Ibrahim].”
Ibrahim informed her that the third staff member had left to go to the store but would be back.
The trainee says she didn’t initially call 911 because Ibrahim said he would. She did call 911 after the second attack and tried to calm “FC” down.
“He [FC] was in a rage,” she said. “[Ibrahim] never even touched him.”
She says she didn’t know that “FC” needed 24-hour one-on-one support or how staffing worked since it was her first day.
The third staff member
In an interview, the third staff member referred to as a “qualified professional” says she stepped in to staff the shift and train the trainee when another staff member called out.
“When I got there, we decided to have a movie night for the clients, so I went to the store down the street to get movie snacks,” she says. “I was gone for about 15 minutes when [Ibrahim] called me and asked me what time I was coming back because [FC] was having a behavior. I could hear [FC] yelling in the background.”
About 20–25 minutes later, the trainee called the third staff member “hysterical,” saying that “FC” had attacked Ibrahim.
When the “qualified professional” returned to the home, she says she performed CPR until medics took over.
Executive director
The executive director says she did not know that Ibrahim was the only staff member with the trainee and “FC”.
“[The trainee] called and told me [FC] was beating [Ibrahim], but she never told me no other staff was there,” the director recalled.
She says she did not know that the “qualified professional” was filling in or that three staff members were needed with the one-on-one requirement for “FC” until the investigation was underway.
The director noted that Ibrahim was responsible for scheduling and she would help as needed. She says they usually had three people working in the home, but that the minimum was two staff members.
“[FC] had one-on-one staff support as recommended, but he did not like for us [staff] to call it one-on-one support,” she said.
She adds, “I’m working on hiring and training new staff, and working with the [qualified professionals] so this does not happen again.”
She says that ongoing training and weekly meetings will continue. Pre-screening to determine the needs of residents and the safety of residents and staff will be a priority.
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Issues found
On January 29, an observation found that a toilet paper holder was broken and exposed a sharp metal hook, exposed wood and nails on two of the kitchen drawers, and a few broken window blind slats.
“I hadn’t noticed the broken issue holder,” the executive director says. “The clients mess the blinds up all the time.”
The director is responsible for repairs and rents the property. She asked the property owner to make repairs and the director would find a repairman.
Following the homicide and a survey completed by NCDHHS on Feb. 23, Miracle Houses, Inc. was issued a $2,000 fine.
Below are the previous citations for alleged misconduct at the Miracle Houses’ Swearngan Road location:
2023 — Several repairs and a greater knowledge of the fire drill plans were needed.
2019 — Staff showed up late to their shift resulting in two residents being home alone.
2019 — The residents got into a physical fight leading to one child being scratched.
2019 — Resident when AWOL (absent without leave) in Nov. 2018. The incident wasn’t reported until Jan. 2019.
2018 — A resident should not have been riding the school bus.
What is next for “FC?”
The 16-year-old “FC” was charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. He has not been identified due to his age.
In January, CMPD reported that he was being held at a juvenile detention facility in Cabarrus County.
Queen City News reached out to Miracle Houses, Inc. for comment on April 3, but has yet to hear back.
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