FBI agents, other law enforcement continue searching suspected shooter's south Fargo apartment
FARGO — The FBI was still interviewing residents at the Bluemont Village Apartments Saturday morning, July 15, after being there most of Friday afternoon, evening and overnight .
WDAY was there for hours last night, and residents believed the shooter was a resident of the apartments. According to Fargo police, that man is 37-year-old Mohamed Barakat.
WDAY News searched through criminal records and have found nothing on Barakat in North Dakota or Minnesota.
At Saturday's press conference, Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski said the department previously had contact with Barakat but nothing significant.
When WDAY was at the apartment complex overnight Friday into Saturday, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the bomb squad were investigating the grounds and asked residents to evacuate.
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Residents were allowed back in the building around 5 a.m.
Zibolski said having federal agencies involved in these types of incidents is standard procedure.
Blue Mountain Village Apartments are normally a quiet place tucked into a residential neighborhood. But on Friday, police were combing the area looking for a suspected gunman who killed Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin.
The search forced residents to leave for the night. When they were allowed back in Saturday morning, the FBI was still active on the scene.
WDAY News talked to Leon Crooks, who lives in the building. Crooks said that they were asked to leave quickly and weren't given much information.
He was able to get a room at a hotel, which he was very thankful for. With all the pain in the community, Crooks has one request from everyone.
"I would just encourage the public out there to gather together and pray for the policemen that are in the hospital and their immediate family, and pray for this community right here," he said.
Source: INFORUM
