Minneapolis man pleads guilty in fatal shooting at St. Paul auto body shop
Jul. 30—A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty this week to fatally shooting a 36-year-old man in a St. Paul auto body shop.
Mohamed Mohamud Farah, 31, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder for killing Mohamed Jama Samatar at the Arcade Auto Body shop in March.
He will be sentenced at 11 a.m. Sept. 22 in Ramsey County District Court.
According to the state sentencing guidelines, he could face up to 30 years in prison. The prosecution has stated it will seek up to twice the guideline sentence because Farah "treated the victim with particular cruelty in that he shot the victim six times at close range, including once in the head."
According to the criminal complaint, at around 3:38 p.m. on March 30, officers were sent to the shop located on the 1300 block of Arcade Street. There they found shell casings on the floor and a blood trail that led to a bathroom, where Samatar lay.
Surveillance video footage captured the incident showing a man, later identified as Farah, walk into the auto body shop from an alley, according to the complaint.
The man entered through the front door and encountered Samatar, and they both went into the office. As Samatar opened the door, the man pulled a handgun from his pocket and pointed it at Samatar. Samatar raised his hands, but the man shot him.
Investigators believe it was a gang-related shooting.
