Federal machine gun charges linked to shootings at Wayzata, Burnsville graduations
Two men connected to shootings at separate graduation ceremonies in the Twin Cities in recent weeks are now facing federal charges.
Hamza Abdirashiid Said, 20, and Amiir Mawlid Ali, 18, were charged on Wednesday with unlawfully possessing machine guns following shootings at ceremonies for Wayzata High School and Burnsville High School a little over a week apart.
Said has already been charged with state level crimes including 1st-degree assault after the May 30 incident outside the Wayzata graduation ceremony at the University of Minnesota Mariucci Arena, which saw two attendees sustain gunshot wounds at what authorities describe as a "chaotic scene."
The U.S. Attorney's Office of Minnesota says police recovered a 9mm semiautomatic pistol "with a high-capacity extended magazine and a machine gun conversion device." These devices, known as a "switch," turn semi-automatic handguns "into fully automatic machine guns."
Ali was among those arrested at the scene of the shooting after the Burnsville graduation ceremony on June 6.
He is now charged for machine gun possession, but it relates to a discovery made by police three days earlier on June 3, when Ali was allegedly the front passenger in a vehicle that "accelerated aggressively" and failed to stop at an intersection.
The allegations state that under Ali's seat was a Glock was equipped with a "loaded 33-round extended magazine and a machine gun conversion device."
"Ali and the two other people in the car said they were heading to the Edina High School graduation ceremony at the University of Minnesota," the U.S. Attorney's Office says.
Ali, who was allegedly known to police as being associated with "multiple recent gang-related shootings," was taken into custody, but was released on June 5 without charge.
The allegations claim that in recorded jail calls, Ali said he would need a "button" upon his release, which prosecutors claim is slang for a switch.
He was arrested on June 6 when shots were fired from a vehicle 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Burnsville ceremony. The extent of his involvement in the shooting isn't clear at this time, with two other men charged with assault and drive-by shooting in connection with the incident.
"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. To bring machine guns and violence to such a ceremony is immoral and shameful," said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
"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."This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
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