Slain Fargo officer mourned as investigation begins

Days after a shootout on a busy Fargo street left a police officer dead, those who knew him remembered a young man at the outset of a life of service.

Officer Jake Wallin, 23, was just months into the job with the Fargo Police Department, excited to be living out his dream of being a police officer and looking forward to his future, said Capt. Will Hermanson, Wallin's platoon leader in the Minnesota Army National Guard.

"The kid had unlimited amounts of potential," Hermanson said. "It's a tremendous and tragic loss. You will not find a more respected and liked person than Jake."

Few details about the Friday afternoon shooting were available Monday. Fargo police said Mohamed Barakat, 37, of Fargo shot and killed Wallin before another Fargo officer shot and killed Barakat.

Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski said police and fire officials were responding to a "routine" crash on a busy street Friday afternoon. The chief has said Barakat, who wasn't involved in the crash, started firing on officers, killing Wallin.

The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation is working with Fargo police and the FBI, Director Lonnie Grabowska said. He said he believed everyone involved in the shootings had been identified but said other suspects may be identified.

Grabowska would not say if any of the Fargo officers had body cameras or if the cameras were recording.

Zibolski said during a Saturday news conference he believed police had only ever had "very minor" contact with Barakat in the past. There are no publicly available records for Barakat in North Dakota's court records system.

Wallin, a Minnesota native, joined the National Guard after graduating from St. Michael-Albertville High School. In a statement, St. Michael-Albertville Superintendent Ann-Marie Foucault called Wallin "a bright and cherished member of our school community." He attended the schools from kindergarten through his high school graduation in 2018.

"He made a significant impact on our school community and beyond, and his loss will be deeply felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him," Foucault said.

Hermanson first met Wallin when he was 18, about the time he joined the National Guard. In the Guard, Hermanson said, he watched Wallin come into his own over years of work and long conversations. Wallin was always curious, always looking to engage with others.

"Jake is always willing to talk to someone intellectually," Hermanson said. "You could see different things clicking in his brain."

Hermanson had long hours to talk with Wallin when they were deployed to Afghanistan in 2020 and 2021, primarily manning and maintaining weapons systems. Wallin was also briefly sent to Iraq during that deployment. There was a lot of waiting around during shifts that could last as long as 12 hours. But Wallin was reliably upbeat and kept everyone around him engaged.

"Jake would always be motivated and happy," Hermanson said. "He was always willing to talk and always willing to learn."

The conversations over the months of deployment ranged. The guard members talked a lot about their immediate work and a lot about fitness and working out, Hermanson said. And they talked about what they would do when they got home and how they wanted to get ready for those hoped-for futures.

Wallin hoped to become a police officer and keep serving his community, Hermanson said.

"Jake just was meant to serve," Hermanson said. "You could credit it to his upbringing, to his parents who did a wonderful job, who raised him, to his friends — but at the end of the day it was an internal thing for Jake."

Wallin kept serving in the Minnesota Army National Guard after the deployment, said Sgt. Maj. Adam Vanderwal. Wallin oversaw a group of other Guard members to ensure that they were properly trained. As a result of that work, Wallin was promoted to sergeant.

"He truly embodied what it was to be a citizen soldier," Vanderwal said.

Wallin was sworn into the Fargo Police Department in April. Fargo officer Tyler Hawes, who was shot and wounded on Friday, also joined the department in the spring. Hawes' field training officer, Andrew Dotas, was also wounded.

Barakat was shot and killed by Fargo officer Zachary Robinson, according to the Fargo Police Department. Robinson had been Wallin's field training officer, responsible for guiding him through his first months in the department.

Fargo officials have not named the 25-year-old woman who was shot and wounded during the shooting. It is not yet clear if Barakat or police shot the woman.

The chaotic incident was "a heinous and unthinkable act of aggression against our officers," Zibolski said in a statement Friday.

Hermanson last spoke to Wallin the weekend before July 4.

Wallin was proud to tell Hermanson he had become a police officer, just like he planned, and excited about his "adult purchases" of a truck and a house. He was looking forward to his career in policing and life with a group of close friends in the Fargo area, Hermanson said.

"He was extremely excited to start this career, this life, this path."