Charges: 18-year-old shot juvenile in Blaine after mistaking him for someone else

An 18-year-old has been charged in connection with a shooting in Blaine earlier this year.

Ibrahim Ahmed Mohamud of St. Cloud faces one count of drive-by shooting and one count of second-degree assault.

As previously reported, police were called to Tumble Fresh Store in Blaine for a report of a shooting at 6:49 p.m. on Feb. 24. There, they found a 17-year-old in his car with a gunshot wound that entered his back and exited through his abdomen.

The teen said he was driving home from dropping off a family member and had taken the exit from Highway 610 to go north on University Avenue NE when someone began firing at his vehicle. The shooter was in a black Toyota Camry.

According to a criminal complaint, five bullet holes were found in the teen’s vehicle. Police also found eight spent 9mm shell casings on the exit ramp. The casings matched those found at scenes in several other shootings in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park.

The victim told police he learned via Snapchat that he had been mistaken for someone from south Minneapolis that drove a similar car. He also learned that the shooter was Mohamud, according to the complaint.

Court documents state police obtained photos of Mohamud with a gun and learned he had stabbed someone at a Washburn Culture Night. Mohamud was sentenced to probation for the stabbing.

Officers talked to a girl who said people were “trolling” Mohamud for shooting the wrong person, leading to him deleting his Snapchat account.

Investigators later got Mohamud’s phone number, along with the number of one of his known associates. Both phones were in the area of the shooting when it occurred, according to a criminal complaint.

Surveillance video of a Casey’s General Store in Blaine showed the black Toyota Camry used in the shooting. A Fleet Farm location in the area also reported someone stole 9mm ammunition and left in a black Toyota Camry. The license plate matched the car used in the shooting and surveillance photos of the suspect matched Mohamud, according to court documents.

On April 7, investigators learned Mohamud was arrested in Golden Valley with a gunshot wound to his leg. There had been a shooting and Mohamud was a suspect, court documents state. Casings from this shooting matched those found at the scene in Blaine.

Investigators then learned Mohamud switched vehicles and was using a red Toyota Rav4. Mohamud’s phone and the new vehicle both pinged at a Brooklyn Park address.

According to court documents, investigators saw Mohamud leaving his home in St. Cloud and get into the Toyota Rav4. Police stopped the car and arrested him, as well as the other occupants.

Court records show Mohamud appeared in court on Monday morning, where his bail was set at $500,000. His next hearing is currently scheduled for the afternoon of Sept. 4.