ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — A North Olmsted man accused of fatally shooting his wife and son appeared in court Monday and is now being held on a $5 million bond.
Hammodi Ahmed Ali Alnaser, 44, has been in police custody since his arrest Saturday. He was arraigned on two felony aggravated murder charges in Rocky River Municipal Court.
Alnaser appeared via video conference and listened to court proceedings through an interpreter.
"There's some words I cannot understand," Alnaser told the judge.
Defense attorney John Powers said Alnaser is a U.S. citizen who came to the country from his native Iraq after serving as a military interpreter.
"He did indicate that he previously worked with the U.S. military as a translator and he's been in the United States for over 10 years now," Powers said.
He said Alnaser has had no prior criminal record until now.
Around 2 p.m. Saturday, neighbors called 911 to report hearing gunshots and shouting at a home on Evelyn Drive.
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"We live on Evelyn Drive. We heard what might be gunshots," one caller told a 911 operator.
Another caller said, "[I heard a] big commotion, screaming and yelling."
Another caller told the dispatcher that his neighbor had handed him the gun.
"My neighbor shot his son," the caller said.
When officers arrived, they found Alnaser's 18-year-old son suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. Officers also found Alnaser's 42-year-old wife shot inside the family's home. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said officers took Alnaser into custody without incident.
"It was a very chaotic scene. Obviously, a lot of family members here, a lot of children involved. It's hard for everybody to say the least," North Olmsted Police Lt. Matt Beck said on Saturday.
Six surviving children were the subject of a criminal protection order imposed by municipal court Judge Thomas Kelly. The order forbids Alnaser from seeing or contacting them.
"So they're not going to see me, visit?" Alnaser asked the judge during Monday’s hearing.
"Not during the pendency of this matter, sir," the judge responded.
The judge also ordered Alnaser to surrender his passport.
The shooting was the second deadly incident in North Olmsted in four days. The previous Wednesday, an 18-year-old was accused of killing his older brother in what his attorneys described as a self-defense shooting.
RELATED: 18-year-old charged with murder says his brother was attacking his mother
A local cafe started fundraising and collecting donations for the families affected by both shootings.
"It's a tough week for us because we lost 3 lives," Mohammad Alhawasha, a school board member at North Olmsted City Schools, said Sunday.
Neighbors declined to speak on camera Monday but described the family as “good neighbors” and Alnaser's wife as kind.
No motive has been identified.
