Canterbury Park Expo Center shooting suspect charged with murder
Suspect to be charged in Shakopee fatal shooting
The suspect the fatal shooting during a prayer service in Shakopee is expected to be charged in the coming days. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has more.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. (FOX 9) - The man accused of opening fire outside an Eid prayer service at the Canterbury Park Expo Center last week is now charged with murder for the deadly shooting.
Deadly shooting at Canterbury Park Expo Center
The backstory:
Shakopee police responded last Wednesday morning to reports of a shooting at the Expo Center during an Eid Al-Adha prayer service.
At the scene, officers found 26-year-old Khalid Ibrahim Abdi suffering from gunshot wounds. Abdi was rushed to the hospital where he was ultimately pronounced dead.
The following day, police announced they had arrested a suspect, later identified as 28-year-old Mohamed Abdirizak Rage.
Suspect allegedly pulled gun during fight
The backstory:
According to the charges, Abdi's wife told police she and her husband were leaving the prayer service when they were approached by Rage, who was trying to instigate a fight.
Abdi told Rage to "leave him alone," but the wife told police that Rage continued to challenge the victim, according to the charges. Abdi didn't want to engage in the confrontation because he was with his wife, the charges state. The charges don't say if Abdi knew Rage or why Rage may have had a problem with Abdi.
As Abdi and his wife continued through the parking lot, the charges state Rage followed them and was recording the couple with a cellphone, the wife told police. Ultimately, the charges state, a physical altercation took place and shots were fired.
Dig deeper:
Another witness shared a similar account of the events to police, stating they saw Rage chase down Abdi and Abdi attempt to cover his head with his hands as Rage fired two shots at the victim before fleeing on foot.
Local perspective:
Police also reviewed surveillance video that showed Rage following Abdi, getting into a fight with the victim, chasing him down with his arm extended. In the video, the victim remains upright, walks around briefly before collapsing.
Rage appears in court
What's next:
Rage was due to appear in court Monday morning for a bail hearing. Court records show a judge has already denied Rage's application for a public defender due to his income. It appears Rage has already hired a Burnsville defense attorney.
Big picture view:
Along with the second-degree murder charge, Rage also faces a count of illegal possession of a firearm. According to the criminal complaint, Rage has a past assault conviction and is ineligible to possess a firearm.