Minnesota case stemmed from a dispute over a missing flashlight attached to a firearm.
LAKEVILLE, Minn. — A former Amazon fulfillment center employee has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in the fatal shooting of a co-worker during a dispute over a missing flashlight attachment on a gun in a company parking lot.
Authorities said the case ended with a guilty plea to second-degree murder without intent in the death of Ahmed Ibrahim Cariif. The shooting occurred in the early morning hours of June 29, 2024, outside an Amazon facility in Dakota County. The case drew attention because it began with a disagreement over a firearm accessory and escalated into a deadly confrontation among co-workers who had arrived at work together.
According to investigators, Mohamed A. Hared, then 26, was working a shift at the Amazon fulfillment center when he noticed that a flashlight attachment was missing from a handgun he had left in a co-worker’s vehicle. Hared, Cariif and another employee had carpooled to work together. During a break around 1 a.m., Hared checked the vehicle and discovered the attachment was gone. He accused the other two men of taking it, but both denied any involvement. Hours later, during another break around 4 a.m., the three returned to the parking lot to search the vehicle again. The disagreement continued as they looked for the missing item. Hared later told police that he had placed the firearm in his waistband before the search and claimed he wanted the matter resolved before anyone left the site.
Police were dispatched after multiple 911 calls reported gunfire in the parking lot. One of the callers was Hared himself, who told authorities he had accidentally shot a co-worker. Officers arriving at the scene found Cariif lying on the ground between parked vehicles while Hared stood nearby holding a handgun. First responders pronounced Cariif dead at the scene. During interviews, Hared said he acted in self-defense after Cariif became angry and advanced toward him. He told investigators that he attempted to avoid a fight and warned Cariif before the gun discharged. Hared said he did not know whether Cariif had reached for the weapon and described the shooting as a chaotic struggle. Investigators later compared those statements with witness accounts and surveillance footage gathered from the facility.
The evidence collected by police painted a different picture from portions of Hared’s account. A co-worker who witnessed the confrontation told investigators that he suggested contacting security personnel to review surveillance footage that might have explained what happened to the flashlight. According to court records, Hared rejected that suggestion and continued insisting that the other men had taken the accessory. The witness recalled Hared saying, “I want my flashlight back. No one’s going home today.” Investigators said a brief fight followed and was temporarily broken up. A second confrontation occurred moments later. During that encounter, Hared pulled out the handgun. The witness reported that Cariif attempted to grab the weapon after it was displayed. One shot struck a nearby vehicle. Cariif and the witness both pleaded for Hared not to shoot, according to investigators. A second shot struck Cariif, who collapsed in the parking lot.
Security camera footage became a central part of the investigation. Authorities said the recordings showed Hared initiating the first physical confrontation by throwing the initial punch. Investigators also concluded that he had opportunities to leave the conflict but did not retreat. Instead, they said, he remained engaged in the altercation as tensions escalated. The footage, combined with witness testimony, undermined key elements of Hared’s self-defense claims. An autopsy later determined that the fatal bullet entered Cariif’s chest and damaged his heart, lung and aorta. Medical findings established that the wound was catastrophic and rapidly fatal. Investigators used the surveillance evidence, witness statements and forensic findings to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the shooting.
The case moved through the Minnesota court system for nearly two years before reaching resolution. Prosecutors charged Hared in connection with the killing and argued that the evidence showed he escalated a workplace dispute into a deadly encounter. Court filings detailed the timeline of the argument, the presence of the firearm and the statements made before the shooting. Rather than proceed to a full trial, Hared entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder without intent. The plea allowed the case to conclude without additional testimony from witnesses in a courtroom setting. Sentencing records show that the court imposed a prison term of slightly more than 10½ years. Hared also received credit for approximately 700 days already served while the case was pending.
The shooting shocked those connected to the workplace because it involved employees who knew one another and had traveled to work together. Investigators found no evidence that the men had arrived at the facility expecting violence. Instead, authorities said the confrontation grew out of a dispute over personal property and quickly intensified once accusations were made. The witness who was present during the incident became a key figure in the investigation, providing a detailed account of both physical altercations and the moments immediately before the gunfire. Surveillance footage from the parking lot helped corroborate much of that account. The combination of eyewitness testimony, video evidence and forensic findings ultimately shaped the outcome of the case and informed prosecutors’ decisions as the proceedings advanced.
The case now stands as resolved following the guilty plea and sentencing. Hared remains in state custody, with credit applied for time already served. No further criminal proceedings are currently scheduled, and the sentence closes a case that began with a workplace argument and ended in a fatal shooting outside the fulfillment center on June 29, 2024.
Author note: Last updated June 1, 2026.