WDAY-TV/AP
Pictured in this video, law enforcement officers work at the scene of a shooting in Fargo, North Dakota, Friday, July 14, 2023.
CNN
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A Fargo police officer was killed, two other officers are in critical condition and a citizen was wounded in a shooting Friday afternoon, police said.
Police have identified the deceased officer as Jake Wallin (23). In a Saturday news release.
Officers Andrew Todas and Tyler Howes both suffered gunshot wounds and are in critical but stable condition at a health care facility, the release said.
The suspect, who was shot by Officer Zachary Robinson during the incident, has been identified as Mohammad Barakat, 37. He was taken to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, the press release said.
A 25-year-old woman was also shot during the incident and taken to a medical facility with “serious injuries,” the release said.
The shooting happened Friday near 9th Avenue South and 25th Street South in Fargo.
Police Chief Dave Zipolski said at a news conference Saturday that there was “no known motive” for the shooting. “I think we’ll know why down the road.”
Zipolski said officers were investigating a routine traffic accident when the shots were fired. He added “I don’t know [Barakat] was part of the conflict” but the investigation is ongoing.
“Our officers were performing their duties regarding what we say was a routine traffic accident,” the police chief said. “When they did that, for whatever reason, this guy started shooting at them, hitting three of them and also shooting the firefighters who were tending to the victims.”
Jack Dura/AP
Flowers rest near the spot where a police officer was shot dead and two others were seriously injured on Friday.
“The events of the past 24 hours have been among the most difficult in our department’s nearly 150-year history,” Zipolski said in the news release. “This is a cruel and unthinkable act of aggression against our officers and the entire metro community.”
Robinson is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into his use of force, as is standard operating procedure in Fargo.
Law enforcement officers paraded their squad cars with lights on Friday evening along Interstate 94 and Fargo. According to CNN affiliate KVLY. Witnesses told KVLY that the shooting happened after a traffic collision.
Fargo is the most populous city in North Dakota, with a population of approximately 125,990. 2020 Census. The city straddles the state’s eastern border with Minnesota, about 190 miles east of the capital, Bismarck.
