The gunman who is responsible for the shooting in Fargo practiced his aim at a nearby shooting range and studied emergency medical services at an area college.
The Forum investigated several shooting ranges from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, to Horace, North Dakota, and discovered that the attacker, 37-year-old Mohamad Barakat, used the Red River Regional Marksmanship Center in West Fargo.
“I can tell you he’s been here. That’s about all I can tell you; he’s been on our range,” said Terri Suchy, operations manager at the Red River Regional Marksmanship Center.
Suchy refused to divulge additional information requested by The Forum about the shooting in Fargo, such as the frequency of Barakat’s trips, the sorts of guns he exercised with, or when he last visited the range at 640 16th St. N.E. West Fargo.
According to Suchy, management at the Red River Regional Marksmanship Center is collaborating with law enforcement regarding the shooting in Fargo, specifying Barakat-related matters.
Other gun ranges contacted by The Forum either refused to comment or stated that Barakat did not utilize their facilities.
On July 14, officers responded to a routine automobile crash around 25th Street and Ninth Avenue South in Fargo.
At the collision site, Barakat ambushed the officers. The shooting in Fargo lasted around two minutes, killing Officer Jake Wallin, 23, and gravely wounding his fellow officers, Tyler Hawes, 22, and Andrew Dotas, 28. Karlee Koswick, a Boston-area woman who recently relocated to Fargo, was also injured by Barakat.
Officer Zachary Robinson fatally shot Barakat on the spot. Barakat had three long rifles, 1,800 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition, a handmade grenade, a can of gasoline, explosives, and other weaponry in his car at the time, according to North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley during a press conference on Wednesday, July 19.
Wrigley, referring to the shooting in Fargo, believes Barakat meant to cause additional havoc elsewhere in the town. Thousands of people were at the Red River Valley Fair and the Downtown Fargo Street Fair at the time of the attack.
Wrigley stated that the firearms used by Barakat in the shooting in Fargo were properly obtained.
“He was not a prohibited person.” He has no convictions that would prevent him from legitimately carrying firearms, according to the attorney general.
Authorities have not yet posted a photograph of the shooting in Fargo suspect, who has a minimal web presence. Barakat was described by Johnson as being of normal height with a slightly bigger frame. Johnson described him as bald with a clean chinstrap beard and a thin mustache.
Johnson claimed the last time he saw Barakat was months ago, but there was nothing remarkable about him before the shooting in Fargo.
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