Man Charged in Shooting That Injured Wayzata Parent After Grad Ceremony
A Coon Rapids man is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting two people outside following Wayzata High School’s graduation ceremony on Friday.
A parent of one of the graduates was one of the two people who were shot.
The shooting occurred at about 8:20 p.m. outside 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus.
Prosecutors say Hamza Said, 20, fired the gunshots during an altercation with one of the victims.
He has been charged with first- and second-degree assault, as well as possession of a machine gun.
According to the criminal complaint:
One of the victims, the father of a graduate, was standing outside the area with his family after the graduation ceremony.
When a group of males started fighting behind the victim, he heard a gunshot and began to run away.
He felt a burning sensation on his head, then touched it and found a “substantial amount of blood.” He then collapsed.
Police said he had an “obvious gunshot wound,” and wasn’t able to use his right arm.
At the hospital, doctors determined he had a fractured skull and brain bleed.
According to the school district, the Wayzata father has been released from the hospital.
A second victim was shot in the leg and didn’t cooperate with police.
According to the criminal complaint, Said fired a Glock with a “switch” trigger modification, making it fire fully-automatic.
A Coon Rapids man is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting two people outside of a Wayzata High School graduation ceremony on Friday.
School Says Shooter Had No Connection to Graduation Ceremony
Meanwhile, Wayzata Public Schools is offering counseling services for students.
“At this point, we have not been able to confirm any connection between the shooter or the second victim and our graduation ceremony,” said Wayzata Public Schools Superintendent Chace Anderson. “Please know that several safety measures were in place before and during the ceremony, including operational metal detectors at all entrances, as well as the presence of school resource officers and University of Minnesota police and security personnel. Moving forward, we are committed to continually reviewing and strengthening our security protocols and exploring ways to prevent such incidents in the future, ultimately enhancing the graduation ceremony experience for all students and families.”
Anderson’s full statement on the incident is available here.
