Man pleads guilty to machine gun possession at Mariucci Arena high school graduation ceremony

A Coon Rapids, Minnesota, man pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to unlawfully possessing a machine gun outside a high school graduation ceremony at the University of Minnesota last spring.

Hamza Said, 21, was arrested on the evening of May 30, 2025, after a shooting at the Wayzata High School graduation at Mariucci Arena on the university's campus. 

Two people were injured in the shooting, and Said is seen on surveillance video firing multiple rounds, the indictment says. 

Said also faces charges in Hennepin County — one count of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree assault and one count of owning a machine gun — in connection to the shooting. He has a plea hearing scheduled for June 1 tied to those charges.

No sentencing date for Said's federal charge has been set.