Federal jury convicts teen who tried to bring machine gun to Twin Cities high school graduation

A federal jury convicted a Minnesota man of illegally possessing a machine gun while on the way to a Twin Cities high school graduation.

Amiir Ali, 19, faces up to 10 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been scheduled yet.

Ali was arrested on June 3, 2025, after Minneapolis police officers pulled a car over on 27th Street East and 18th Avenue South. 

Ali was sitting in the passenger seat, and officers found a Glock 10 mm semiautomatic firearm under the seat. It was loaded with a 33-round extended magazine and machine gun conversion device, court documents say.

According to the complaint, the officer who pulled the car over knew Ali from prior investigations and believed he was associated with gang-related shootings. 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. Department of Justice says Ali was arrested again on June 6, 2025, when police responded to a shooting at Burnsville High School's graduation ceremony. 

Ali was charged in Dakota County with two counts of drive-by shooting charges and one count of second-degree assault for the Burnsville shooting. The criminal complaint says police found a handgun with an extended magazine and a bullet casing on the floor of the car Ali was in.