When Jake Wallin returned from duty in Afghanistan, he wanted to continue a life of service that made a difference. He was just beginning that life as a Fargo, North Dakota, police officer, when he was gunned down Friday in what a witness said appeared to be an ambush.
Officers Andrew Dotas, and Tyler Hawes were wounded in the incident. Both were listed in critical condition. Officer Zach Robinson returned fire, killing the suspected gunman, identified as Mohamad Barakat, 37, according to KFYR-TV.
At the time, police had responded to a report of a routine car accident.
Witness Chenoa Peterson. Said the attack appeared to her to be an ambush, according to The Associated Press.
.@FargoPolice Officer Jake Wallin was just 23 years old with 3 months on the Job. Today, he was shot and killed in the line of duty — ambushed alongside his fellow cops who were injured as they investigated a car crash. This tragic incident is yet another stark reminder of the… pic.twitter.com/eTFZF97jC9
— Bill Bratton (@CommissBratton) July 16, 2023
She said Barakat was at the back of a car in a parking lot near the crash and opened fire when the officers were about 20 feet away.
“He was holding up the trunk of the car with his arm, and then I see the gun come up, and he set it on his shoulder and just pointed it directly at an officer in front of him. It was like 10 shots right away,” she said.
The officers were not looking in the direction of the attack, she said.
Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski said police do not know why Barakat opened fire.
“The events of the last 24 hours have been among the most difficult in our department’s nearly 150-year history. This was a heinous and unthinkable act of aggression against our officers and the entire metro community,” he said Saturday, according to CBS.
“As we all try to comprehend what has transpired and mourn the impact on our team and the entire community, we are bracing for extremely difficult days ahead.”
In addition to the officers, a 25-year-old woman was shot. A fire truck was also hit by gunfire, Zibolski said, according to KCRA-TV, which compiled its report from various dispatches.
Zibolski said the investigation into a possible ambush was ongoing, and that police had a previous interaction with Barakat “but not anything significant.”
Wallin, 23, of St. Michael, Minnesota, was in training, having only joined the Fargo force three months ago. He had served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan, Zibolski said.
“identified the suspect as Mohamad Barakat, 37, of Fargo” https://t.co/e0TpsS1VVS via @nbcnews
— Richard Adams – Barbarians at our Mexican Border (@fegroup) July 16, 2023
“He served his country, came back here and wanted nothing more but to serve in a position with purpose and meaning – his exact words — and he did that,” Zibolski said.
During a Saturday news conference, Zibolski showed a video of Wallin as he spoke of his career choice.
We mourn the loss and honor the memory of fallen #Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin (End of Watch – 07.14.2023). pic.twitter.com/cNnWr9raMR
— Fargo Police (@FargoPolice) July 15, 2023
“Throughout my entire life, I’ve always wanted to work in some sort of position that had purpose behind my job and police officer is always what kind of came to me,” Wallin said.
“I don’t want to be sitting in an office wondering why I’m here every day. I want to be out, I want to be doing something that I can tell myself at the end of the day I made a difference somehow,” he said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
