Officials: Fargo gunman searched online for 'kill fast' and 'mass shooting events'

FARGO — North Dakota law enforcement officials said Friday that a gunman searched online for area public events along with the terms "kill fast" and "mass shooting events" before he ambushed police with nearly 40 rounds of gunfire, killing one officer and seriously injuring two others and a civilian before he was was fatally shot.

For now they believe 37-year-old Mohamed Barakat acted alone, but the motive for his actions remains unclear.

"We have no reason to believe the public is in further danger," said Mac Schneider, U.S. attorney for the district of North Dakota, during a Friday news conference. "Even in the early stage of the investigation, if there was clear evidence of motive we would share it."

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said investigators believe for now that there were no co-conspirators, and that the shooting was not motivated by religious beliefs.

Inside Barakat's car, they found what Schneider described as an "absolute arsenal" — 1,800 rounds, multiple guns and a homemade hand grenade, along with gasoline containers and two propane tanks filled with explosive materials built in his home. The tanks were detonated by a bomb squad and proved very powerful, Wrigley said.

Analysis of Barakat's personal devices revealed that as early as 2018, he made online searches that hinted at a plot of a mass shooting, including searches for events that drew crowds in the Fargo-Moorhead area as well as in greater Cass County. His final search at 10:30 the night before the shooting was "thousands enjoy first day of downtown Fargo street fair."

Sharing for the first time an image of Barakat, Wrigley detailed the scene, which unfolded the afternoon of July 14 minutes after officers responded to a car crash at 25th Street and 9th Avenue S. in Fargo. Barakat, who watched the scene from an adjacent parking lot in his vehicle — the rear windows blacked out by spray paint — started firing at officers from his sedan. He shot and injured three — two police officers and a civilian involved in the crash — and fatally shot officer Jake Wallin.

Fargo officer Zachary Robinson shot at Barakat from about 75 feet away, disabling the .223 caliber long rifle that Wrigley described as having two side-by-side magazines. Barakat reportedly crouched near his car and waved a 9 mm handgun, refusing Robinson's repeated orders to drop his weapon. Robinson then fatally shot Barakat.

"From the moment the shooting starts, especially in hindsight when you know the weapon [fired by Barakat], it's difficult to overstate how dramatically — especially at that distance —outgunned police officer Zach Robinson was," Wrigley said. "You'll see that body camera in time and you know we'll all agree, that man was never outmanned."

Earlier this week, Wrigley said Robinson's use of deadly force was "reasonable" and "necessary."

"It would be horrific enough if this was the end," Wrigley said of the shootout at the crash scene. But the weapons and ammunition inside Barakat's car and apartment indicate he was intent on hurting as many people as possible, said Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski.

Officials reiterated Friday it appears the firearms were legally bought and Barakat didn't have prior convictions that would have prevented him from purchasing weapons.

What could have been

Wrigley said he believes Barakat intended to survive the shooting, meaning he doesn't think Barakat planned the attack as a suicide-by-cop situation, because Barakat had trail cameras and other techniques at his apartment to make sure no one entered in his absence.

As for where Barakat was headed, Wrigley said if Barakat hadn't stopped at the car crash while driving north, he could have continued on to either the annual downtown street fair or a concert at the Red River Valley Fair.

"We avoided, I think, a major catastrophe in our city. And it's still a very big tragedy with the loss of Officer Wallin," Zibolski said. "And that's going to be with us for a while."

Moorhead resident Joshua Johnson, 23, said Friday he was at the downtown street fair earlier in the day on July 14. He said he enjoys going to the event each year and generally visits downtown Fargo a few times a week.

"It's frightening to consider something like a mass shooting could happen in Fargo," he said. "At the same time, I'm extra grateful it didn't happen."

Amanda Rydell, who runs a small business with plants and home decorations in downtown Fargo, said she still feels safe but has spent time in the past week thinking about what she would do if there was a shooting at her business.

"It just opens your eyes to what's going on in our world right now," she said. "It can happen anywhere. It it doesn't have to be a big city like Minneapolis."

What's known about the shooter

Barakat, a Syrian national, came to the United States on an asylum request in 2012, and he became a citizen in 2019. He worked various odd jobs, Wrigley said. His contacts with police were limited to a cooking fire at his apartment.

Wrigley said a federal "guardian report" was made some years back about him, but it was not about a threat of violence. Schneider described a guardian report as a way for the public to "engage local law enforcement." Barakat had family in the United States but they don't live in the area, Wrigley said, and he doesn't believe Barakat was particularly close with them.

Barakat lived at Bluemont Village Apartments in the 2800 block of 23rd Avenue S., just south of I-94. A records search shows Barakat previously lived at another address in Fargo starting in 2015, but officials didn't say Friday when he moved to Fargo. Criminal records show one speeding ticket in North Dakota in November 2018.

Barakat was enrolled in the emergency medical services program at North Dakota State College of Science's Fargo campus in spring 2020, according to a college spokesperson.

Neighbors in Bluemont Village Apartments told Valley News Live earlier this week that Barakat seemed standoffish and quiet.

Leon Crooks, a 61-year-old resident of the apartment building, told the Star Tribune on Friday he doesn't remember seeing Barakat around the complex. Crooks described the residents as working folks who are a mix of ages. He said he and his neighbors are concerned about the amount of weaponry and ammunition in Barakat's apartment.

"Everybody is trying to understand it," he said.

What comes next

The FBI and state Bureau of Criminal Investigation are continuing to investigate the attack.

Wallin was a 23-year-old St. Michael, Minn., native who served in the Minnesota National Guard. He joined the Fargo Police Department in April.

Also shot and injured were Fargo officers Tyler Hawes, 22, and Andrew Dotas, 28, as well as bystander Karlee Koswick, 25, of Cohasset, Mass. As of Friday, all were in good condition and recovering at a local hospital, but with a long way to go, Wrigley said.

Funeral services for Wallin have been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Pequot Lakes (Minn.) High School. Officers from the Fargo Police Department will escort Wallin from Fargo to Pequot Lakes beginning at 5:45 a.m. with arrival estimated about 9 a.m., according to a city of Fargo spokesperson.

Other law enforcement agencies, first responders and the public are encouraged to be present along the route, which includes a memorial loop around the Fargo Police headquarters, as well as areas near the Dellwood Drive frontage road in Baxter, Minn., downtown Nisswa, Minn., along Hwy. 371 or along Patriot Avenue in Pequot Lakes.

The Wallin family and Fargo police will host a public celebration of life at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, at Scheels Arena in Fargo.