Machinegun Shootings at Minnesota Graduations Lead to Federal Charges

St. Paul, MN (MinnesotaNow)— Federal prosecutors have charged two young men with unlawful possession of machineguns after authorities say they were involved in incidents tied to recent high school graduation ceremonies in the Twin Cities.

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Hamza Abdirashiid Said, 20, and Amiir Mawlid Ali, 18, made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court on Tuesday and remain in custody pending detention hearings.

The charges stem from two separate investigations in the span of a week, both connected to ceremonies held at the University of Minnesota campus.

Wayzata Graduation Shooting Leads to Arrest and Federal Charge

Said was arrested on May 30 following a shooting outside the Wayzata High School graduation at Mariucci Arena. According to court documents, University of Minnesota Police responded around 8 p.m. and arrived to find two people with gunshot wounds amid a chaotic crowd.

After reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses, officers located Said and recovered a Glock 9mm pistol equipped with a high-capacity magazine and a machinegun conversion device, commonly called a “switch.”

Authorities say switches can convert a semiautomatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon, a modification that is illegal under federal law.

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Traffic Stop Uncovers Another Modified Firearm Days Later

Just four days later, on June 3, Minneapolis police pulled over a vehicle that had run a stop sign and accelerated through an intersection. Officers noted the car’s excessive window tinting and initiated a stop. During the traffic stop, one of the passengers was identified as Ali, someone police say is connected to multiple gang-related shootings.

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Inside the vehicle, officers located a Glock 10mm handgun under Ali’s seat. That firearm, like the one recovered in the earlier incident, was equipped with a 33-round extended magazine and a machinegun conversion switch. Ali and the others in the car told police they were heading to Edina High School’s graduation ceremony, also being held on the university campus.

Burnsville Graduation Shooting Leads to Second Arrest

Ali was later arrested on June 6 as officers responded to yet another shooting, this time at Burnsville High School’s graduation. Jail phone recordings revealed Ali expressing a desire to obtain another “button,” a slang term for a machinegun conversion switch,  upon his release.

“High school graduation ceremonies are a rite of passage. A time for friends and family to come together to celebrate one of life’s major milestones,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “To bring machineguns and violence to such a ceremony is immoral and shameful. On behalf of all Minnesotans, I want to express a sense of moral outrage at these crimes and assure the public that the perpetrators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”