Shakopee prayer service shooting: Victim was about to become a father

Shakopee prayer service shooting: Victim was about to become father

One day after a man was shot and killed outside an Islamic prayer service in Shakopee, police identified him and arrested a suspect in the shooting. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the update.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. (FOX 9) - One day after a man was shot and killed outside an Islamic prayer service in Shakopee, police identified him and arrested a suspect in the shooting.

Suspect in custody after deadly shooting at prayer service

What we know:

Shakopee police said Khalid Abdi, 26, died after being shot at the Canterbury Park Expo Center on Wednesday morning. The shooting happened during an Eid prayer service organized by the nearby Samaha Islamic Center.

The suspect, who has not yet been identified, was arrested Thursday morning and remains at the Scott County Jail.

Abdi worked as a field representative for a St. Paul-based chapter of a state and municipal workers’ union. He had recently married and was preparing to welcome his first child, according to an online fundraiser that has already raised more than $24,000 for funeral and other expenses.

What they're saying:

In a statement, Bart Andersen, AFSCME Council 5 executive director, said, in part: "It is with unimaginable sadness and heartbreak to share that we lost our union brother and AFSCME Council 5 Field Representative Khalid Abdi today, who was shot and killed while attending an Eid prayer gathering in Shakopee. It is so hard to believe and comes as an absolute shock to our hearts."

At a news conference on Thursday about a separate shooting in downtown St. Paul earlier this month, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry replied to a question about whether there could be a link between that case and the Shakopee shooting.

"I think that’s way too soon to say," he said. "Is it possible that people at that event were also present in St. Paul? I guess so. That could be possible."