DA’s report clears Santa Clara police officer in fatal shooting of man stabbing his roommate
By Carlos E. Castañeda
A Santa Clara police officer who fatally shot a man attacking his roommate with a knife in September was cleared of any wrongdoing in a report by the District Attorney’s Office.
The shooting happened the morning of Sept. 3, 2025 at a home on Eisenhower Drive. The Santa Clara Police Department said they responded to a call about a stabbing at the residence, and officers arrived to find the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Nizamuddin Mohammed, on top of the victim on the ground and holding a kitchen knife to the victim’s throat. The victim had already been stabbed, police said.
Police body cam footage showed Officer Robert Allsup, a 12-year veteran of the department, ordering Mohammed to drop the knife twice. After he refused to comply, Allsup shot Mohammed four times. He was pronounced dead later at a hospital.
On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office issued its report on the shooting, which determined that Allsup had acted lawfully during the incident and opened fire after Mohammed made a sudden movement toward the victim’s throat after not complying with Allsup’s commands.
“Officer [Robert] Allsup saved [the roommate’s] life. Nizamuddin Mohammed was intent on killing [the roommate] and but for the actions of Officer Allsup would have accomplished his mission,” the report concluded. “Accordingly, no criminal liability is attached to him.”
The DA’s report said the attack came after months of brewing tension and arguments between the two roommates and came to a head after the roommate testified against Mohammed in an eviction proceeding at the request of their landlord.
“Their two other roommates recalled Mohammed and [the roommate] frequently got into arguments about the thermostat,” the report said. “Just five days before, Thompson testified against Mohammed in Mohammed’s eviction hearing. In response, Mohammed had accused Thompson of being a government spy and hacking into his computer.”
The two other roommates were at home when Mohammed began attacking the victim as he was preparing to shower, and called 911, the report said. The victim fought off Mohammed after being stabbed, holding onto the blade of a kitchen knife using a towel until the blade broke off the handle. Mohammed then went to the kitchen for a second knife and resumed the attack, the report said.
An autopsy conducted on Mohammed showed no alcohol or evidence of common drug use at the time of death, and the investigation found no other non-common substances that could be identified and tested.
The victim was treated for stab wounds to the hands, chest, lung and abdomen, Police Chief Cory Morgan said two days after the attack. Morgan also said that police had previously responded to a disturbance call at the home regarding a dispute between the two over the air conditioning being left on with the windows open.
According to the report, the attacked roommate later told police, “if Officer Allsup had been a little bit later … I do not think I’d be here right now.”
