Bodycam footage released of police ambush in Fargo

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The Gunman was equipped with handmade explosives, 1,800 rounds of ammunition, and multiple firearms. He was on his way to downtown Fargo to commit a mass casualty event.

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ND Attorney General Drew Wrigley said “In the wake of Mohamad Barakat’s murderous, unprovoked attack, Officer Zach Robinson’s use of deadly force was reasonable, it was necessary, it was justified, and in all ways, it was lawful,”

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Originally from Syria, Barakat was granted political asylum and arrived in the U.S. in 2012, Wrigley said at a news conference on Friday, July 21.

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Wrigley said Barakat's web browser history showed searches for information on mass shooting events and how to shoot and injure people in specific ways.

The last website Barakat visited before the shooting was a news article with the headline "Thousands enjoy first day of Downtown Fargo Street Fair," the attorney general said.

On July 14, Barakat ambushed police officers as they dealt with a routine car crash near 25th Street and Ninth Avenue South.

The ensuing gunfight lasted roughly two minutes, killing Officer Jake Wallin and seriously injuring officers Tyler Hawes and Andrew Dotas. Barakat also wounded Karlee Koswick, a Boston-area woman who recently moved to Fargo. Officer Zachary Robinson ended the gunfight by shooting and killing Barakat.

In the car that Barakat drove to the ambush scene, investigators found three long rifles, 1,800 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition, a homemade grenade, a can of gasoline, explosives and other firearms, Wrigley said.

The explosives in Barakat's car were filled with large amounts of Tannerite, an explosive compound made from ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder. If Barakat had shot an explosive, it could have caused significant destruction, Wrigley said.

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