Star Tribune
Fargo cop killed in shootout was a Minnesota native, new on the job
Jake Wallin didn’t want to find himself sitting in an office, wondering at the end of his workdays whether he’d made a difference.
To serve his community, the 23-year-old National Guard member and native of St. Michael, Minn., opted for a career in law enforcement.
On Friday, Wallin was killed in a shootout in Fargo that left two other officers wounded. A fourth officer killed the gunman.
Police have given few details about the shooting beyond saying there was no known motive. The Associated Press said Sunday that authorities released no new information, and the Star Tribune could not reach Wallin’s family for comment.
In an online video posted by police Saturday, Wallin talked about his motivation.
“Throughout my entire life I’ve always wanted to work in some sort of position that had purpose behind my job,” the young officer said. “Police officer is always what kind of came to me. I’ve tried other careers but I came right back into law enforcement.”
In a comment that likely referred to his service with the Minnesota National Guard, Wallin added: “I’m from St. Michael-Albertville, Minnesota, and I’ve been to more countries than I have been states.”
At a news conference Saturday, Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski said police and fire officials were responding to a “routine” traffic crash on a busy street Friday afternoon when a gunman opened fire on them. Authorities identified the shooter as Mohamad Barakat of Fargo.
Zibolski described the first few minutes of the shootout as “very chaotic.” He said firefighters and an ambulance crew were essential in preventing additional fatalities.
As soon as the firing stopped, he said, “firefighters bounced out, and they were applying first aid immediately to our officers.”
Zibolski said their quick work on the wounded men “probably had a very significant impact on their survival.”
The city has said little about Barakat or the gun he used. Zibolski said he believed police previously had contact with Barakat “but not anything significant.”
The chief said it does not appear that the gunman was involved in the crash that drew officers to the scene. But he indicated authorities were investigating whether the shooting was a planned ambush.
“The first thing we always want to know in a situation like this is, ‘Why?’ ” he said. “Why would somebody do this?”
Fargo police said Wallin became an officer on April 19 and was in field training at the time of death.
The North Wright County Today website reported that Wallin was a 2018 graduate of St. Michael-Albertville High School, where he played linebacker on the football team. He later graduated from Alexandria Technical and Community College and attended the American Military University.
The Minnesota National Guard said in a statement that Wallin began serving in December 2017 as a cannon crewman and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq from November 2020 to July 2021.
“The citizen soldiers and airmen of the Minnesota National Guard extend our deepest condolences to the family members and friends of Sgt. Jake Wallin,” said its adjutant general, Army Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke. “He lived a life of service — not only to his state and nation but his community.”
At Saturday’s news conference, Zibolski called for a moment of silence to honor Wallin.
“He was a member of our family. He meant a lot to the department,” the chief said.
Shortly after the shooting, authorities, including FBI agents, converged on a residential area about 2 miles away and evacuated residents of an apartment building to gather what they said was related evidence.
Officer Tyler Hawes, who was wounded in the shootout, attended the University of Minnesota Morris and was Wallin’s classmate in the Fargo Police Academy. They became officers on the same day and were training with six-year veteran Andrew Dotas when they responded to Friday’s crash.
On Saturday, Hawes and Dotas were reported in critical but stable condition. Zibolski said they were in “good spirits” but had significant recovery ahead of them.
No updates on their conditions were provided Sunday.
A fourth officer, Zach Robinson, shot and killed Barakat, Zibolski said. A 25-year-old bystander also was injured in the shooting, though authorities haven’t said who shot her. A hospital spokesman said Sunday that she was in fair condition.
In the video posted by Fargo police, Wallin displayed an easy smile that suggested the sense of humor his police chief referenced during the new conference Saturday.
The young officer said his desire to serve came from wanting “to have purpose behind my job each and every day. … I want to be doing something that I can tell myself at the end of the day I made a difference somehow.”
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on the day of Wallin’s funeral, which has yet to be announced.
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will auction off state lands in popular northern counties next month.
The public land — in Aitkin, Cook, Itasca, and St. Louis counties — will go up for sale during the Department of Natural Resource’s annual online public land sale from Nov. 7 to 21.
“These rural and lakeshore properties may appeal to adjacent landowners or offer recreational opportunities such as space for a small cabin or camping,” the DNR said in a statement.
Properties will be available for bidding Nov. 7 through Nov. 21.
This all can trim for print: The properties include:
40 acres in Aitkin County, with a minimum bid of $85,000
44 acres in Cook County, minimum bid $138,000
1.9 acres in Itasca County, minimum bid $114,000
Minneapolis city officials say razor wire, concrete barriers and fencing will be removed from around the former Third Precinct police station – which was set ablaze by protesters after George Floyd’s police killing – in the next three weeks. The burned-out vestibule will be removed within three months with construction fencing to be erected closer to the building.
This week, Minneapolis City Council members have expressed frustration that four years after the protests culminated in a fire at the police station, the charred building still stands and has become a “prop” some conservatives use to rail against city leadership. Most recently, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance made a stop outside the building and criticized Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of the 2020 riots.
On Thursday, the council voted 8-3 to approve a resolution calling for “immediate cleanup, remediation, and beautification of the 3000 Minnehaha site including but not limited to the removal of fencing, jersey barriers, barbed wire, and all other exterior blight.”
Council Member Robin Wonsley said the city needs to acknowledge that many police officers stationed in the Third Precinct “waged racist and violent actions” against residents for decades.
Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said the council wants the building cleaned up and beautified “immediately.”
“We cannot allow for this corner to be a backdrop for those who wish to manipulate the trauma of our city for political gain,” Chowdhury said.
Council Member Katie Cashman said the council shouldn’t be divided by “right-wing figures posing in front of the Third Precinct and pandering to conservative interests.”
“It’s really important for us to stay united in our goal, to achieve rehabilitation of this site in a way that advances racial healing and acknowledgement of the past trauma in this community, and to not let those figures divide us here,” she said.
It’s MEA weekend — the four-day stretch in mid-October when educators traditionally flock to St. Paul RiverCentre for a conference organized by the statewide teachers union as students and their families take an extended break.
Some orchards offer visitors the opportunity to pick their own fruit, while others operate sprawling general stores that sell a variety of apple-themed goodies.
Tiger cub twins Amaliya (female), left, and Andrei (male), right, who were born in May, hang out with their mother, Amur tiger Sundari, after making their debut in their new public habitat at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minn. on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com (Leila Navidi)
October is usually a happenin’ month at the Minnesota Zoo. The annual Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is chock-full of meticulously decorated gourds, and this year’s event runs until Nov. 2. Tickets start at $18 for adults and $14 for children (kids younger than 2 get in free but must still register for tickets). The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular begins at 6 p.m.
But there’s another new attraction at the zoo these days: the pair of Amur tiger cubs born to 7-year-old mom Bernadette just a couple of months ago. This week, zoo officials named the young felines Marisa and Maks. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
Patrons enjoy drinks and dinner on the patio Thursday evening, July 18, 2024 at Lola’s Lakehouse in Waconia. Lola’s Lakehouse in Waconia features a large back deck/patio area with views of Lake Waconia. (Jeff Wheeler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
With so many people out of town, there’s no better time to visit some of the Twin Cities’ most popular eateries.
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