Twin Cities man indicted on first-degree murder charge in shooting outside Eid prayer service

A grand jury on Monday indicted a Twin Cities man for his role in a deadly shooting outside an Eid al-Adha prayer service earlier this year.

Mohamed Rage, 29, was formally indicted on the charge of first-degree premeditated murder in the May 27 shooting death of Khalid Abdi, according to the Scott County Attorney's Office.

Charges say Abdi and his wife were leaving the Canterbury Park Expo Center in Shakopee, Minnesota, when Rage approached them, threatening to fight Abdi. Abdi stated he "didn't want to fight"; however, a physical altercation ensued, which bystanders broke up. 

Abdi and his wife proceeded to walk through the parking lot to leave as Rage followed them. Abdi's wife told investigators Rage was recording them with a cell phone and that her husband and Rage were physically fighting when another man tried to intervene, according to the criminal complaint. Rage then took out a gun while Abdi tried to run and hide. Rage fired one to two shots before fleeing on foot.

Abdi was taken to Hennepin Healthcare, where he later died. The medical examiner determined Abdi's cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the torso.

Rage turned himself in at the Shakopee Police Department the day after the shooting.

"The fact that this homicide occurred immediately following a sacred service that celebrates community values of peace, charity, and togetherness makes this murder particularly heinous," said County Attorney Hocevar after the indictment was unsealed.  "And shooting an unarmed, fleeing person is simply unconscionable.  The entire community, not the least of whom is Mr. Abdi's widow, has been traumatized by this murder."      

Rage's bail has been set at $5 million with conditions or $6.5 million without conditions.

If convicted, Rage is facing life in prison.