Shooting outside Burnsville High School graduation: 2 men charged

Gunfire erupts after Burnsville High School graduation

Four people were arrested after reports of gunfire and multiple fights broke out shortly after the Burnsville High School graduation ceremony on Friday night. It's the second weekend in a row that a shooting has occurred outside a Twin Cities high school graduation event.

BURNSVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two people have been charged in connection to a shooting near Burnsville High School after a graduation ceremony on June 6.

Abdulahi Jama Ali, 18, of Shakopee, and Abdikani Mukhtar Abdiwahab, 18, of Bloomington, are charged in connection with the incident. Ali is charged with two counts of drive-by shooting and second-degree assault. Abdiwahab is charged with two counts of drive-by shooting and two counts of aiding an offender.

No one was injured in the shooting.

Shooting near graduation ceremony in Burnsville

What happened:

Officers working security and crowd control outside Burnsville High School on Friday were "aware that two groups of individuals were arguing and flashing gang signs toward each other as officers were attempting to disperse the groups," court documents allege. Officers also broke up "several physical altercations" between the groups that night. 

At about 8:30 p.m. — about 30 minutes after the graduation ceremony ended — police heard gunshots coming from the west side of the high school and responded to that area. 

Bystanders directed police to a Toyota Camry, and officers removed the driver, identified as Abdiwahab, and the passenger, identified as Ali, from the vehicle and detained them, charges said. 

As officers took Abdiwahab and Ali into custody, a bystander in a leopard-print or camo jacket, could be heard saying, "Ksoe, you missed. You dumb ass. You missed." Ali's nickname is Ksoe, court documents state.

Two witnesses told police they were in a vehicle behind the Toyota Camry. Abdiwahab was driving recklessly and almost hit another vehicle, the witnesses said, according to court documents. They then saw a person in a leopard print jack approach the passenger side of the Camry and talk with the people inside. The person in the leopard-print jacket tried to punch the Camry with his fist. The witness then said they saw a gun come out of the passenger window and open fire. They heard several loud bangs they thought were gunshots or fireworks. 

Police recovered a handgun with an extended magazine from under the front passenger seat and a bullet casing from the driver's side floorboard, charges said. Police also found two additional bullet casings on the street and a parked vehicle with a bullet fragment lodged into the driver's side headlight. 

Abdiwahab told police he didn't shoot the gun and denied knowing anything about who fired the gun. He also said he didn't know how a gun was found in his vehicle and denied that his DNA would be on the gun, court documents state. He said his friend, known to him only as Ksoe, was in the car with him. 

Authorities haven't said what led up to the altercations. 

Dig deeper:

Authorities said last week four people were taken into custody in connection with the incident. School officials said none of them were students in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District. 

Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Theresa Battle sent the following message to the district after Friday's incident:

"We’re deeply saddened that this took place following what had been a joyous celebration with our graduates and their families. We’re grateful that no one was injured and for the immediate response of Burnsville Police and other law enforcement agencies to the scene," the message read. "We will continue to work closely with law enforcement as the investigation proceeds, and we will share information with the One91 community as it becomes available."

Recent violence at high school graduations

Violent graduation season in Twin Cities

The Twin Cities is seeing some violence break out at graduation ceremonies, most recently with a shooting during a ceremony in Burnsville. FOX 9's Babs Santos has the latest.

Big picture view:

High school graduation season in Minnesota has seen multiple violent incidents so far this year. 

May 30, Wayzata graduation: Two people were shot outside the Wayzata High School graduation ceremony at Mariucci Arena at the University of Minnesota. A 49-year-old man, the father of a Wayzata student, suffered a gunshot wound to the head. A second victim, a 19-year-old man, suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg.

Both victims have been released from the hospital. 

Hamza Abdirashid Said, 20, of Coon Rapids, is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and possessing/operating a machine gun in those shootings.

May 31 St. Cloud Tech graduation: Just after 12:30 p.m. on May 31, a group of people at the graduation were near the exit of the River's Edge Convention Center when a fight broke out, St. Cloud police said. 

Police say that social media video captured the brawl, and authorities were able to identify several people involved.  No injuries were reported in the fight, and police say no weapons were used in the altercation. 

A video, posted to TikTok, shows multiple people fighting reach other during the graduation as staff and others try to break them up.