Ibrahim Ali Mohamed faces more than seven years in prison after admitting to first-degree assault under a negotiated plea agreement.

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — A 21-year-old Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to first-degree assault for firing about 10 rounds during a confrontation at an Apple Valley park, where an 18-year-old was struck in the face and suffered life-threatening injuries.

Ibrahim Ali Mohamed entered the plea July 6 in Dakota County District Court, resolving the central charge arising from the May 10, 2025, shooting at Kelley Park. Under the negotiated agreement, prosecutors are expected to dismiss a count of attempted second-degree murder with intent but without premeditation. Court filings cited in reports about the case call for a prison term between 86 and 129 months, equal to seven years and two months to 10 years and nine months. A judge is scheduled to determine Mohamed’s sentence Oct. 7.

The guilty plea changes the legal posture of a case that began with reports of an armed man chasing people through a community park. Mohamed is no longer preparing to contest the first-degree assault allegation at trial. Instead, the remaining dispute centers largely on how much time he will receive within the range requested by the parties. A guilty plea is an admission to the offense, but the judge retains responsibility for imposing the sentence and addressing the other terms of the judgment. The public reports reviewed for this article did not identify any final restitution order or other sentencing conditions.

According to the criminal complaint, Mohamed went to Kelley Park with two friends after his mother was unable to reach his sister. Authorities said he used location information available through a cellphone to determine that she was at the park. What began as an effort to find her developed into a confrontation with another group of people. Witnesses told investigators that Mohamed pulled a handgun from beneath his hoodie, struck people with the weapon and pointed it at at least one person. Prosecutors said bystanders attempted to intervene as the conflict grew more dangerous.

The complaint described movement and confusion across the park as people tried to get away from the armed man. Numerous callers contacted police, and some witnesses reported seeing a person in a white hoodie and black ski mask chasing others with a gun. The accounts were collected after the shooting and formed part of the allegations filed against Mohamed. The plea establishes his guilt on the assault count, although it does not necessarily adopt every detail attributed to every witness in the complaint. No public transcript of the plea hearing was available in the reviewed material to show which facts Mohamed personally admitted in court.

Before the injured man returned to the park, he received a call or message warning that a friend would be killed if he did not come back, the complaint said. The reported warning stated, “If you don’t come back, I’m going to kill your friend.” When the 18-year-old arrived in a vehicle, people nearby tried to alert him to the danger. One person warned him to leave the car because someone was going to shoot, according to the complaint. Another witness yelled a warning shortly before gunfire struck him from a distance estimated in court documents at about 100 feet.

The bullet caused severe injuries to the victim’s face and neck, and other trauma was reported in his chest. He was taken for emergency treatment and underwent surgery. Public accounts based on the complaint also described fractures involving his jaw and teeth and an injury to his tongue. Authorities classified the wounds as life-threatening. Later reports said the 18-year-old was expected to survive, but the reviewed sources did not provide a detailed update on his recovery, long-term medical needs or whether he has returned to school, work or other normal activities.

Investigators said evidence at Kelley Park showed that about 10 rounds had been fired. Mohamed acknowledged firing multiple shots, according to accounts of his police interview contained in the complaint. He told investigators that a vehicle entered the park at high speed and that he believed people inside were firing at him. Police said they found no evidence that anyone in the injured man’s vehicle discharged a weapon. The absence of evidence supporting that claim became an important part of the state’s account as prosecutors pursued attempted murder and assault charges.

The reported evidence did not rest only on statements made at the scene. Investigators obtained search warrants for Mohamed’s cellphone and social media activity, according to a local report that reviewed the court filings. Videos allegedly showed Mohamed and other people displaying firearms before the park shooting. Investigators believed one of the weapons resembled the Polymer80-style 9 mm handgun used in the incident. Court records also described a message attributed to Mohamed after the shooting in which he appeared to anticipate being arrested and complained that girls were providing information to authorities.

Mohamed was not arrested on the night of the shooting. Prosecutors later filed charges, and authorities obtained a nationwide warrant. Apple Valley police arrested him in Minneapolis on June 30, 2025, more than seven weeks after the violence at Kelley Park. At his first court appearance, a judge set bail at $400,000 without conditions or $150,000 with conditions, according to reporting at the time. He was then identified as a 20-year-old Minneapolis resident. He was 21 when he entered the guilty plea the following year.

The original charges reflected two different legal theories. The attempted second-degree murder count accused Mohamed of acting with the intent to cause death but without premeditation. First-degree assault required proof of an assault causing great bodily harm. By accepting the assault plea and agreeing to dismiss the attempted murder count, prosecutors secured a felony conviction without putting witnesses through a trial or asking jurors to decide whether the evidence proved an intent to kill beyond a reasonable doubt. The agreement also created a defined sentencing range while leaving the precise term to the court.

The negotiated range is broad enough to allow the sentencing judge to weigh facts that may favor either end. Sentencing proceedings can include arguments from prosecutors and the defense, information about the defendant’s history, details about the harm caused and statements from people affected by the crime. The sources reviewed did not report whether the injured man or his family plans to speak, whether Mohamed will address the court or what sentence each side will specifically recommend within the 86-to-129-month range. Those questions are expected to become clearer as the October hearing approaches.

The plea also narrows what remains unresolved. Mohamed has admitted criminal responsibility for causing great bodily harm, and the case is no longer headed toward a jury trial on that charge. The attempted murder allegation is expected to be dismissed as part of the agreement rather than decided through a verdict. The victim’s current medical condition has not been publicly detailed, and available reports do not explain the full relationship among the groups who were in the park. Authorities have not publicly announced charges against anyone else in connection with the gunfire.

Mohamed is scheduled to return to Dakota County District Court on Oct. 7 for sentencing. Until the judge enters the final judgment, the exact length of imprisonment and any additional conditions remain undetermined. The expected sentence must fall within the negotiated range if the court accepts the agreement as presented.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 2, 2026.