Rochester Shooting Suspect Sentenced For Earlier Home Invasion
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man charged with a shooting at a local retail center and a carjacking earlier this year has been sentenced to prison for convictions stemming from a violent home invasion that occurred more than two years ago.
Rochester Man Sentenced in Home Invasion Case
Twenty-five-year-old Abdulahi Mohamed Abukar was brought before an Olmsted County judge today and was handed concurrent sentences totaling 34 months, with credit for the 456 days he has served in jail. Abukar entered into a plea agreement earlier this year and admitted to felony charges of second-degree assault and fleeing police, along with misdemeanor DWI. In exchange, first-degree burglary and first-degree aggravated robbery charges were dismissed.
Accused of Robbing Man at Knifepoint
According to court records, Abukar was arrested in March 2024 after Rochester police responded to a southeast Rochester apartment after receiving a 911 call about a man with a knife. When officers arrived, they were told that Abukar had forced his way inside the residence and demanded money while pointing a knife at the victim's throat.
READ MORE: Guilty Plea For Violent Rochester Home Invasion
The criminal complaint says the victim told officers he feared what would happen if he did not comply and gave Abukar about $100 before he left in a car. The victim provided officers with the license plate number of the vehicle, and an officer in the area spotted it speeding through a nearby red light and crashing into another vehicle.
Crashed While Fleeing From the Police
The court document says the officer activated the squad car's emergency lights and pursued Abukar, who kept driving even though the airbags in the car had deployed in the collision. After he refused to stop, the pursuit was terminated, but police later located the vehicle parked at a northwest Rochester residence, where he was taken into custody.
Charged With Shooting at Rochester Walmart
Following his guilty plea in the home invasion case, Abukar was released on bail, and about a month later, he was named the suspect in a shooting that occurred at the north Walmart store in Rochester on the night of March 23. He was charged with two counts of drive-by shooting and illegal possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent crime.
READ MORE: Arrest Warrant Issued for Suspected Gunman in Rochester Walmart.Shooting
The criminal complaint in that case says surveillance cameras at the store recorded video showing Abukar arriving with two other people in a vehicle, which they parked in the fire lane before entering the store. The charges allege that Abukar chased another man out of the store and was later seen firing what appeared to be two gunshots in the direction of another vehicle.
Suspect in Carjacking
Another criminal complaint alleges that Abukar was involved in a carjacking at a northwest Rochester apartment complex the evening before the Walmart shooting. In that case, the charges say a man reported that he was assaulted before one of his attackers got into his vehicle and drove away. Abukar faces charges of first-degree carjacking, aggravated robbery and fifth-degree assault in the case.
READ MORE: Suspect in Rochester Walmart Shooting Now Also Wanted for Violent Carjacking
He is currently scheduled to appear in court for hearings on the shooting and carjacking cases next month.
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Gallery Credit: Lauren Wells
