A shooter opened fire on police and firefighters responding to a traffic accident in North Dakota, ki!!ing one officer and injuring two others before being ki!!ed by another officer, Fargo’s police chief said Saturday.
Officer Jake Wallin, a war veteran, was slain in the incident, according to Chief David Zibolski. Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes, two more cops, were also injured. According to Zibolski, a fourth officer, Zach Robinson, shot and ki!!ed the man.
A 25-year-old woman was also shot, although investigators have not revealed who attαcked her. The assailant did not injure any firemen, according to Zibolski, but bullets hit a fire vehicle.
Mohamad Barakat, 37, of Fargo, was named as the suspect, but Zibolski released few details about him or the incident, citing officials’ desire to safeguard the investigation. He expressed confidence that authorities would finally figure out what was going on.
“The first thing we always want to know in a situation like this is, ‘Why?'” he explained. “Why would someone do something like this?” “What occurred?”
He stated that the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the FBI were looking into the matter.
According to Zibolski, Barakat did not appear to be engaged in the crash on which police were working when he began firing.
When asked if police knew Barakat, Zibolski replied, “I believe we have had contact with him, but not anything significant.”
He also stated that he had no idea what kind of gun Barakat was using. Several people were at the crash and shooting on a famous Fargo thoroughfare.
Chenoa Peterson told The Associated Press that while traveling with her 22-year-old daughter, she noticed a car wreck and cops standing about. “He proceeds to aim it, and you just hear the bullets go off, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God!'” said one witness. ‘He’s firing!'” One woman stated that she was driving when she saw the officers collapse.
A Tweet posted by the official account of MSN:-
A Fargo police officer was killed in a Friday afternoon shooting that left two other officers in critical condition and one civilian injured, according to police.https://t.co/XyVvucFnSS
— MSN (@MSN) July 15, 2023
“I saw the traffic stop, and as soon as I drove, shots were fired, and I saw the cops go down,” Shannon Nichole told KFGO Radio. “My airbag went off, and the bullet passed through my driver’s door.”
Wallin, 23, of St. Michael, Minnesota, was in the field as an officer in training at the time of the incident, having recently become a Fargo police officer.
“He was very important to the department.” “He had a great sense of humor,” Zibolski said of the murdered officer, who had also served in the US military in Afghanistan. On his first day on the job, Wallin humorously corrected the chief on his surname pronunciation, adding, “‘It’s wah-LEEN.'”
In a video shown at a Saturday news conference of Wallin practicing with fellow recruits, he expressed his desire to work in police enforcement.
“Throughout my entire life, I’ve always wanted to work in some sort of position that had purpose behind my job and police officer is always what kind of came to me,” Wallin explained. “I don’t want to be sitting in an office wondering why I’m here every day. I want to be out, I want to be doing something that I can tell myself at the end of the day I made a difference somehow.”
For nine hours after the sh00ting, police had called it only a “critical incident.” Early details emerged from people who witnessed the shooting or heard gunshots. Shortly after the shooting, officers converged on a residential area about 2 miles away and evacuated residents while gathering what they said was related evidence.
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Tyler is a passionate journalist with a keen eye for detail and a deep love for uncovering the truth. With years of experience covering a wide range of topics, Tyler has a proven track record of delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles to readers everywhere. Whether it’s breaking news, in-depth investigations, or behind-the-scenes looks at the world of politics and entertainment, Tyler has a unique ability to bring a story to life and make it relevant to audiences everywhere. When he’s not writing, you can find Tyler exploring new cultures, trying new foods, and soaking up the beauty of the world around him.