Mohamad Barakat Photo Fargo PD
Attorney General Drew Wrigley says the man who shot and killed a Fargo Police Officer, wounded two others and a woman who was part of a two-car crash did not have a social media presence. Wrigley says investigators have not been able to locate any on-line accounts for 37-year-old Mohamed Barakat.
Wrigley said, “Not a lot of interaction or people with whom he would interact. We are continuing down every lead that we have from these phones and from the electronics and community contacting other people. People with knowledge about him we don’t at this moment see additional threat emanating out of this incident.”
Prior to the mass shooting, Barakat searched the internet for terms including “explosive ammo” and “kill fast.” and Wrigley, during a news conference from city hall, says investigators did find an internet search history where Barakat looked for information on large public events in Fargo-Moorhead, including the downtown street fair. Wrigley says Barakat’s 223-caliber rifle was modified with a “binary trigger” allowing him to fire 60 rounds rapidly. Barakat moved to this country from Syria in 2012 on asylum and became a U-S citizen in 2019.
Wrigley said the killing of 37-year-old Mohamad Barakat by Fargo Police Officer Zach Robinson was justified, and ultimately necessary to prevent further loss of life.
Wrigley addressed Robinson’s “use of force” during a July 14 ambush-style shooting at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon held at the Fargo City Hall.
“Officer Zach Robinson’s use of deadly force was reasonable,” said Wrigley. “It was necessary. It was justified. And in all ways, it was lawful.”
He also described the assault by Barakat and praised Robinson’s actions for advancing on the suspect during the incident.
“Mohamad Barakat engaged in a savage attack,” said Wrigley. “He engaged in an unprovoked, completely unprovoked, assault, by firing a long rifle. He unleashed, what can only be described as a murderous barrage of fire … as we all know the toll of that assault was three officers, one officer deceased and one civilian shot as she was trying to flee the gunfire.”
Wrigley said Barakat was used double-stacked magazines during the assault, which would allow him to fire 60 rounds before needing to reload with a new clip.
Wrigley also said a search of Barakat’s vehicle turned-up three .223 long rifles, four handguns, a suitcase of other assorted weapons, improvised gasoline explosive devices, a live, homemade-grenade and 1,800 rounds of ammunition.
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney commended the four officers involved in the attack for their bravery and feared that, without their courage, the situation may have ended in an even greater tragedy.
“Had Zach (Robinson) not neutralized the shooter, we may have had many more casualties,” said Mahoney. “When you look at the amount of ammunition the shooter had in his car, he was planning on more mayhem in our community.”
See Friday’s Press Conference below.
https://www.facebook.com/fargopolicedepartment/videos/3708089436136128