Two face federal charges in separate shootings at high school graduation ceremonies

Two men are facing federal charges in connection with shootings outside two Twin Cities area high school graduation ceremonies. 

20-year-old Hamza Said of Coon Rapids and 18-year-old Amiir Ali of Circle Pines are both charged with illegal possession of machine guns. Prosecutors allege both men were involved in gang-related activity tied to the shootings.

“High school graduation ceremonies are a rite of passage,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson in a statement. “A time for friends and family to come together to celebrate one of life’s major milestones. To bring machine guns and violence to such a ceremony is immoral and shameful.”

Officers responded to a shooting outside the Wayzata High School graduation ceremony at the University of Minnesota’s 3M Arena at Mariucci on May 30. They located and arrested Said, the alleged shooter, on the scene. Court documents allege he had a semiautomatic pistol with a high-capacity extended magazine and a device that converts the weapon to a machine gun, known as a switch. 

Two people were injured; both are expected to survive.

Said faces additional charges in Hennepin County District Court of assault and illegal gun possession. 

Days later, officers conducted a traffic stop of a car that allegedly failed to stop at an intersection. Ali was one of the occupants; according to court documents, an officer recognized him from prior investigations of gang-related shootings. He allegedly told officers he was on his way to the Edina High School graduation at 3M Arena at Mariucci. 

Officers found a semiautomatic firearm under Ali’s seat, equipped with an extended magazine and a machine gun conversion device. 

Ali was arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail; at the time, he was not charged and was released two days later. 

A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said prosecutors didn’t have enough information to charge him at the time. 

“The evidence, as submitted, didn’t include necessary forensic testing results to overcome likely defenses,” said Daniel Borgertpoepping, spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. “We requested it be resubmitted for charging consideration when the testing was complete.” 

Days after his release from jail, police responded to a shooting at Burnsville High School’s graduation. According to federal court documents, officers located Ali while responding to the shooting and arrested him. 

Two other 18-year-olds were charged in Dakota County in the shooting outside the Burnsville graduation. Abdulahi Jama Ali of Shakopee is charged with shooting from a car; Abdikani Mukhtar Abdiwahab faces charges for allegedly driving the vehicle.