Before a Hennepin County judge sentenced an admitted murderer to the maximum punishment, she scolded him for being "blackout drunk and high" when he shot another man behind a popular Minneapolis nightspot.
Judge scolds killer for being 'blackout drunk' before pulling trigger outside Minneapolis bar
The sentence will keep the St. Paul man in prison for more than 9 years.
October 30, 2018 at 1:27PM
Farhan Hersi, 30, of St. Paul, was sentenced last week to a 15-year term for shooting 24-year-old Abdullahi Said Awil in the parking lot behind Bullwinkle's Saloon on Aug. 31, 2017. A 15-year term means that Hersi, who pleaded guilty two months ago to unintentional second-degree murder, will serve roughly 9 ½ years in prison and the rest on supervised release.
Awil's mother spoke during sentencing before Judge Kathryn Quaintance through an interpreter and said her son "was helpful to me and the community. … My son is gone and will never return to me. Hersi will [still] see his family."
According to the criminal complaint and testimony in court, Hersi admitted he and his friends had spent the night drinking and that he was drunk when he shot Awil multiple times after bar closing in the parking lot behind Bullwinkle's Saloon and the Jewel of India in the Seven Corners area.
Before handing down the sentence, Quaintance told Hersi, "You were blackout drunk and high. You didn't know what was going on and you did not make smart choices."
While Hersi and Awil were in a car, Awil voiced displeasure about rumors that Hersi might be dating one of Awil's sisters and said there would be trouble if that was true.
Hersi, a member of the St. Paul Pistol Boyz gang, testified that he remembered taking that as a threat and getting angry. Both men exited the car, and Hersi shot Awil several times at close range and ran from the parking lot.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
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