Fargo police officer justified in killing shooter on July 14; assailant had 1,800 rounds, seven firearms, and multiple explosive devices in vehicle

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley announced the killing of 37-year-old Mohamad Barakat by Fargo Police Officer Zach Robinson was justified, and ultimately necessary to prevent further loss of life.

Wrigley addressed Robinson’s “use of force” during a July 14 ambush-style shooting at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon held at the Fargo City Hall. 

“Officer Zach Robinson’s use of deadly force was reasonable,” said Wrigley. “It was necessary. It was justified. And in all ways, it was lawful.”

He also described the assault by Barakat and praised Robinson’s actions for advancing on the suspect during the incident.

“Mohamad Barakat engaged in a savage attack,” said Wrigley. “He engaged in an unprovoked, completely unprovoked, assault, by firing a long rifle. He unleashed, what can only be described as a murderous barrage of fire … as we all know the toll of that assault was three officers, one officer deceased and one civilian shot as she was trying to flee the gunfire.”

Wrigley said Barakat was used double-stacked magazines during the assault, which would allow him to fire 60 rounds before needing to reload with a new clip.

Wrigley also said a search of Barakat’s vehicle turned-up three .223 long rifles, four handguns, a suitcase of other assorted weapons, improvised gasoline explosive devices, a live, homemade-grenade and 1,800 rounds of ammunition.

Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney commended the four officers involved in the attack for their bravery and feared that, without their courage, the situation may have ended in an even greater tragedy.

“Had Zach (Robinson) not neutralized the shooter, we may have had many more casualties,” said Mahoney. “When you look at the amount of ammunition the shooter had in his car, he was planning on more mayhem in our community.”

Mahoney also said creating a safe community takes the entire city working toward that goal.

“If you want a safe community, we all are a part of this,” said Mahoney. “We all are a part to heal this as well. And this is a time when we need to grieve for our fallen officer, honor him for his service to our community, pray for our two officers who are still recovering, and, as a team, work together to continue to make our community safe and the community we love.”

Wrigley also said he plans to hold a separate press conference on Friday to address the incident as a whole and the current status of the ongoing investigation.