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Connected shootings tied to Somali gangs, court records say
Newly obtained court documents detail an investigation that linked multiple shootings in the Twin Cities' west metro area to a cycle of retaliation involving Somali gangs. FOX 9 reporter Mike Manzoni has the details from those documents and the evidence gathered by law enforcement.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 19-year-old man from Blaine is now facing charges for a shooting along Highway 100 in St. Louis Park that authorities say is connected to the recent rash of gang violence in the west metro.
Teen charged in Hwy 100 shooting
What we know:
Abdisalan Muhumed Ali is charged with drive-by shooting towards an occupied vehicle and assault with a dangerous weapon for the shooting on Sept. 30.
The backstory:
According to the charges, troopers were called out for a shooting on Highway 100 near the Excelsior Boulevard exit. The charges state the driver was found inside a white Honda, shot in the ankle.
Troopers say they found several discharged cartridge casings of two different calibers on the highway's southbound lanes. There were also six bullet strikes in the Honda.
Connection to other shootings?
Dig deeper:
Troopers said the victim and his friends told police they had gone out to eat dinner and were on their way to Minnetonka to play sports when they were ambushed by the gunman in a black Hyundai Sonata with dark tint and a license plate that starts with "Z."
Troopers say they were able to review surveillance video that showed the suspect's vehicle trailing the victims starting at the restaurant onto the highway. The complaint states investigators were able to identify the suspect's vehicle and determine it was registered to Ali.
Investigators also reviewed cell phone data that placed Ali in the area of the restaurant and shooting scene at the time of the shooting.
Big picture view:
The complaint alleges that Ali is a member of the "1300" gang. The complaint also alleges that the guns used in the shooting could be connected to other crimes in the metro.
The complaint states that a ballistics analysis of some of the casings recovered from the Hwy 100 scene matches "numerous other shootings" including a Sept. 5 shooting in Columbia Heights where three men were hurt. The casings also match another shooting in Burnsville in February where the Highway 100 victim was also allegedly targeted, the complaint states.
The Source: This story uses past FOX 9 reporting and a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County Court.