Two suspects have been arrested and charged with the death of a 13-year-old Pasadena boy who was killed by a lost bullet in 2021.
According to the Pasadena Police Department, the couple were identified as Muhammad Abdul Malik, 38, and Teleja Flemings, 31.
On November 20, 2021, 13-year-old Iran Moreno was playing video games in his bedroom as a gunman in a street parking lot fired a shot of him at his home. One of the bullets passed through Moreno’s windows and fatally hit him.
Abdul Malik then rode in the getaway vehicle allegedly driven by Flemmings.
From left: 38-year-old Muhammad Abdul Malik and 31-year-old Terraeja Flemings can be seen in photo bookings from the Pasadena Police Station. Moreno, Iran, shown in this undated photo, was struck and killed by a lost bullet on November 20, 2021 (Pasadena Police Station). (Pasadena Police Station) Surveillance video filmed the suspect’s vehicle in the shooting death of 13-year-old Moreno, Iran. (Pasadena Police Station)
According to the family, the boy collapsed in the living room and his father held him in his arms as if dialed 911. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died of injuries.
Police said the juvenile was not the intended target. At the time, security footage showed the suspect’s vehicle was stopped in the parking lot. Abdul Malik is accused of getting out of the car and firing a gun before returning to the area.
Flemings reportedly was a fleeing driver, prosecutors said.
“Since that night, detectives from the Pasadena Police Department’s Robbery and Murder Unit have been tirelessly trying to pursue leads and bring the person responsible to justice,” authorities said. “Nearly four years after the tragic incident, the investigation culminated in the arrests of two individuals involved in the murder of Moreno, Iran.”
On July 11, 2025, detectives found Abdul Malik in Orlando, Florida and arrested him. A few days after July 16th, Flemings was arrested in San Fernando.
On July 18, Abdul Malik was charged with one count of murder and possession of a firearm by a felon, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed. He is in custody on $3 million bail and is waiting for extradition to Florida.
Flemings is indicted on one count of murder and is being held on $2 million bail.
A loved one said Moreno was a student at Blair Middle School in Pasadena, where he was in eighth grade. He loved basketball and soccer and was described by friends and relatives as a kind child who “had a very bright future before him.”
“Iran Moreno’s life is taken meaninglessly and its loss cannot be revoked,” said a Pasadena police officer. “We hope these arrests will bring some degree of closure to his family and our community.”
“The violence that took the boy’s life is not only tragic, but also an unacceptable crime,” said LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. “Never a family has to endure the heartbreak of losing a child under such a horrific situation. We cannot undo this tragedy, but we work tirelessly so that the person in charge is responsible.”
If convicted of being indicted, Abdul Malik faces 53 years of life in prison, while Flemings faces 25 years of life in prison.
The case has been charged by Deputy Prosecutor Antonella Nistresku of the Main Crime Division and was investigated by the Pasadena Police Department.
Pasadena detectives received support from officials from the former US S Southwest Regional Flight Task Force, the former US S Florida-Caribbean Regional Flight Task Force, and Florida Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information about the case will be asked to call Pasadena Police at 626-744-4241.
Anonymous tips can be provided to LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
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