The Dakota County case centered on a missing flashlight attachment, two fights and a gun brought to work.

LAKEVILLE, Minn. — A Faribault man was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after admitting he fatally shot a co-worker outside an Amazon fulfillment center in Lakeville during a dispute over a missing firearm flashlight attachment.

Mohamed A. Hared, 26, received a 128-month prison term in Dakota County District Court on May 29, closing a case that began before dawn on June 29, 2024. Hared pleaded guilty in January to second-degree unintentional murder while committing a felony in the death of 22-year-old Ahmed Ibrahim Cariif. Judge Richelle Wahi gave Hared credit for 700 days already served.

The shooting took place in the parking lot of the Amazon facility in the 9800 block of 217th Street West, where Hared, Cariif and another man worked an overnight shift. Prosecutors said the three had carpooled to work in the witness’ vehicle. Hared had a permit to carry a firearm and brought a gun with him, but left it in the car during the shift. During a break around 1 a.m., he returned to the vehicle and found the gun still there, but said a flashlight attachment on the weapon was missing. He accused Cariif and the witness of taking it. Both men denied doing so.

The confrontation did not end after the first search. About three hours later, during another break, the three men went back outside to look for the attachment again. The witness later told police he suggested calling security to review surveillance video from the parking lot. Hared refused, according to the criminal complaint, and repeated his accusation. “No. You guys took my flashlight,” Hared allegedly said before telling them, “I want my flashlight back. No one’s going home today.”

Police said the men then fought twice in the lot. Hared told investigators that Cariif became upset, took a fighting stance and advanced on him. He said he tried to run away, but claimed Cariif cornered him and reached for the gun. Hared told police the weapon fired by accident during the struggle. But prosecutors said the witness account and surveillance video undercut that version. The complaint said video showed Hared threw the first punch in the first fight and did not retreat, even though he had chances to move away.

According to the complaint, Hared pulled the gun from his waistband during the second fight. The witness said Cariif tried to grab the weapon after seeing it. Hared fired once toward Cariif, and the bullet struck a car. Cariif yelled, “Don’t shoot me,” and the witness also shouted, “Don’t shoot,” according to the complaint. Three to five seconds later, Hared fired a second time. Cariif fell to the ground in a walkway at 4:09 a.m. The witness ran back inside the building out of fear and called for help.

Lakeville police officers responded around 4 a.m. after multiple 911 calls reported gunfire in the parking lot. One caller identified himself as Hared and said he had accidentally shot a co-worker. When first responders arrived, they found Cariif face down between two cars. Hared was standing nearby with a gun in his hand. The third man, who has not been publicly named in the case documents, had gone inside the facility and was waiting for police. Cariif was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy found that the fatal bullet entered Cariif’s chest and struck his heart, lung and aorta. Hared was arrested the same day and later charged with second-degree murder. At the start of the case, he was 24 and held in the Dakota County Jail on a $1 million bond. Court records later showed the case moved toward resolution without a trial after Hared entered his guilty plea in January to second-degree unintentional murder while committing a felony.

Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena announced the sentence and called the killing senseless. “It’s so senseless the victim was shot to death over such a trivial matter,” Keena said. Her office said Hared remained in custody at the Dakota County Jail after sentencing while awaiting transfer to the Minnesota Department of Corrections. The sentence means Hared’s case is no longer in the pretrial stage, though prison placement and correctional processing remained ahead after the May hearing.

The case drew attention because of the setting, the overnight shift and the small item that prosecutors said sparked the fatal fight. The three men had arrived together for work, searched the same car together and were still on the employer’s property when the argument turned physical. Investigators said the case turned on what the witness saw, what cameras recorded and what Hared told 911 and police after the shooting. The flashlight attachment was not reported recovered in the public summaries.

Hared has been sentenced to 128 months in prison with 700 days of credit and remains under state custody procedures. The next milestone is his transfer from county custody to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Author note: Last updated June 29, 2026.