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Officials identify officer killed in Fargo on Friday
On Friday night 23-year-old officer Jake Wallin was killed while 3 others and the suspect were also shot.
FARGO, N.D. — One police officer was killed and two others were critically injured in a shooting that also left the suspect dead on a busy street in Fargo, North Dakota, police said.
The Fargo Police Department identified the officer killed in the Friday incident as Jake Wallins.
Wallins was a veteran of the Minnesota National Guard who had joined the police department less than three months ago, according to Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski.
Wallins was in field training when he was killed, according to the police department.
The other two officers who were critically injured in the incident were identified as Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes.
Hawes was also field training and attended the University of Minnesota-Morris. He was sworn in as an officer on April 19, 2023 and was Wallin’s classmate. He is currently completing FPD field training. Prior to joining FPD, he worked as a corrections officer.
Dotas is a six-year FPD team member and serves as an FPD Training Officer, a member of the Crowd Management Team, Red River Valley SWAT Negotiations Team and a department Motorcycle Officer. Dotas is also a member of the North Dakota Air National Guard.
Both Dotas and Hawes suffered gunshot wounds and remain in critical but stable conditions.
The police department said 37-year-old Fargo resident Mohamad Barakat is the suspect in the incident. He was shot and killed by Fargo Police Officer Zachary Robinson.
Robinson a seven-year FPD team member who stopped the threat by shooting and killing the suspect, according to the Fargo Police Department. Robinson was serving as Wallin’s Training Officer at the time of the incident and has been placed on paid administrative leave while the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NDBCI) conducts an investigation into the use of force.
“The events of the last 24 hours have been among the most difficult in our department’s nearly 150-year history. This was a heinous and unthinkable act of aggression against our officers and the entire metro community,” said Chief Zibolski at a Saturday press conference.
A 25-year-old woman also was seriously wounded in the shooting that happened just before 3 p.m. Friday, added Zibolski.
Officials at the press conference provided no details on how the shooting unfolded or on a possible motive.
Many witnesses said they saw a man open fire on officers before other officers shot him.
One woman said she was driving when she saw the officers fall.
“I saw the traffic stop and as soon as I drove, shots were fired and I saw the cops go down,” Shannon Nichole told KFGO Radio. “My airbag went off and the bullet went through my driver’s door.”
The Fargo Police Department said the investigation is ongoing and authorities withheld the identities of the officers and the suspect pending notification of their families.
Police initially said little about the shooting, calling it only a “critical incident” for nine hours. Early details emerged from witnesses, who said they saw the shooting or heard the sound of gunshots. Shortly after the shooting, officers converged on a residential area about 2 miles away and evacuated residents while gathering what they said was related evidence.
Chenoa Peterson told The Associated Press that she was driving with her 22-year-old daughter when a man pulled out a gun and began firing at police: “He proceeds to aim it and you just hear the bullets go off, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God! He’s shooting!’”
Peterson’s first instinct was to pull over and try to help, but having her daughter there convinced her to leave. “It’s weird knowing that if you were 10 seconds earlier you could have been in that,” she said.
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioned the legality of the new measure while issuing his veto on Wednesday.
MINNEAPOLIS — The City of Minneapolis will move ahead with new carbon fees after a contentious back and forth at City Hall concluded with the council overriding the mayor’s veto.
The new fees, which target carbon emissions from city businesses, will be implemented on July 1, 2025, according to the council.
Minneapolis already has a pollution fee system, known as the Pollution Control Annual Registration or PCAR. The fees go into the city’s Green Cost Share program, helping pay the costs companies incur bringing down their emissions.
The current PCAR system covers emissions of other air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds, heavy particulates, and sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, lead, and carbon monoxide. Companies are required to report their emissions levels to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which, in turn, charges fees of $100 per ton.
The City Council voted Oct. 2 to add carbon dioxide to the list. The resolution seeks to impose a $452 per ton fee for carbon dioxide.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioned the legality of the new measure while issuing his veto on Wednesday.
“I am all on board for PCAR fees—but it’s time the Council stops playing games and follows the processes in place to enact lasting change,” said Mayor Jacob Frey, in a statement to KARE.
Before his veto was overridden, Frey had told KARE that if the measure were to move forward, companies hit with the fees would likely sue the city and win.
Council Member Robin Wonsley, who co-authored the measure, took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to Frey’s veto on Wednesday night.
Wisconsin law enforcement said Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang, are facing charges in connection with 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s death, including obstruction.
TWO RIVERS, Wis. — About a month after 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s remains were recovered from a private property in Wisconsin, state authorities announced Thursday that charges have been filed against the boy’s mother and her partner.
Wisconsin law enforcement said Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang, are facing charges in connection with 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s death, including obstruction.
Vue went missing in February and it wasn’t until September that his body was recovered and identified.
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier told families in a letter that a rash of injuries has reduced the roster to the point that playing is a “safety issue.”
WADENA, Minn. — A central Minnesota high school is pulling the plug on the remainder of its varsity football season, saying continuing to play would not be “safe or realistic.”
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier sent a letter home to families earlier in the week, explaining the decision to skip the Wolverines’ final game and subsequent district playoffs. Petermeier said injuries began piling up as the club reached midseason, and roster numbers hit a dangerous low following Wadena-Deer Creek’s game in week 7.
Heading into the final regular season game against Staples-Motley, Wadena-Deer Creek had just eight healthy players from 10th to 12th grade. At that point, the coach said, a difficult but necessary decision had to be made in the interest of safety.
“We are in a position now where we would have to trot out a majority of our team that is 14 and 15 years old, and that is not in the best interest of our kids,” coach Petermeier explained. “To us, safety is ahead of any individual game result. Football is a physical sport and putting out a team of mostly 14-15 year olds vs. 17-18 year olds is not safe or realistic for our team, and even the opposing team playing. “
Before the decision to end their season, the Wolverines were 1-6 on the year, losing games by up to 50 points.
Coach Petermeier credited this year’s varsity squad for their preparation, training and effort, and told parents he believes the future of the Wadena-Deer Creek football program is bright with big participation numbers with players at the fifth- to ninth-grade levels.
“Football is a game that requires strength in numbers, and we will do anything we can to keep these numbers high and keep kids out for football,” he promised.
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