Five people have been arrested in connection to a downtown St. Paul shootout at the beginning of May.
The St. Paul Police Department, alongside federal ATF agents, executed coordinated search warrants in Prior Lake, Lakeville, Minnetonka, and Brooklyn Park to arrest four adult male suspects and a minor.
All were linked to a violent multi-group confrontation near Grand Casino Arena following a Metro State graduation ceremony on May 4.
Investigators say they used video evidence to track them down, recovering multiple firearms including an illegally modified handgun and rifle in the process.
"This is what you can expect when you commit crimes like this in St. Paul," said St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry. "We're going to track you down and we're going to hold you accountable for this. It's completely unacceptable."
Three adult suspects are facing felony assault and riot charges. They are Zakriya Haashi Said, Omar Abdulwahab Mohamed, and Khalid Ali Mohamud.
Another suspect has yet to be charged, and another suspect is a minor. It's WCCO policy not to name suspects that are underage or not charged.
Two were shot in the incident and Henry says the multi-agency investigation into the shooting span across multiple cities, and resulted in the seizure of a total of eleven weapons.
"Our focuses have been identifying who those folks are and getting those guns off the street," Henry added. "I can tell you that our belief right now is that one of the people, or what we know is that one of the people that were shot that day, was also one of the people that's been charged and arrested."
They are scheduled to make their first appearances in Ramsey County District Court Friday morning.
“I am proud and grateful for the investigation our Saint Paul Police officers conducted alongside our law enforcement partners to identify the suspects responsible for the May 4 shooting in downtown Saint Paul," said a statement from Mayor Kaohly Her.
"This investigation is a testament to the work of our Non-Fatal Shooting Unit and to why we need a fully funded statewide approach," she continues. "The individuals arrested today for violence in our city do not reside here, yet our city is still responsible for conducting the investigation and bringing them to justice. Next legislative session, I hope to see our state invest in expanding this program beyond Ramsey County and Saint Paul to help interrupt violence before it happens and reaches our communities.”
