ST PAUL, MINNESOTA: A Minneapolis man who was among four individuals apprehended following a shooting incident outside Burnsville High School's graduation ceremony in June 2025 has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a machine gun in a separate incident just days before the graduation shooting.
Amiir Mawlid Ali, who was 18 at the time of his June 2025 arrest, received the sentence following his conviction by a federal jury on April 16, 2026, for one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota, Ali was found in possession of a stolen firearm equipped with an illegal machine-gun conversion device, commonly referred to as a "switch," during a Minneapolis traffic stop on June 3, 2025.
The firearm was also equipped with an extended magazine containing more than 30 rounds of ammunition. During Ali's federal trial, a firearms expert testified that the modified weapon was capable of firing 15 rounds in approximately two seconds.
Ali's federal conviction stems from the June 3 traffic stop, rather than the June 6 shooting outside Burnsville High School. However, federal authorities confirmed that Ali was subsequently arrested on a federal warrant at the scene of the suspected gang-related graduation shooting, connecting the two incidents through the same defendant.
June 3 Traffic Stop Leads to Discovery of Illegal Machine Gun
According to federal court documents and evidence presented at trial, Minneapolis police officers stopped a silver sedan on June 3, 2025, after observing multiple traffic violations. Three individuals were inside the vehicle, including Ali, who was seated in the front passenger seat. When officers removed Ali from the vehicle to conduct a safety sweep, he attempted to flee. Officers quickly apprehended him before he could escape.
During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered a firearm underneath the seat where Ali had been sitting. The weapon had been modified with a machine-gun conversion device, allowing it to fire multiple rounds of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger. The firearm also contained an extended magazine loaded with more than 30 rounds of ammunition. Investigators subsequently determined that the weapon had been reported stolen.
Federal prosecutors presented DNA evidence connecting Ali to the firearm, along with video recorded inside a police squad car following the traffic stop. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the squad car recording captured Ali instructing the vehicle's other occupants to deny knowing anything about the machine gun. An expert from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) later examined the firearm and confirmed that it operated as a machine gun under federal law. During Ali's trial, an expert testified that the firearm discharged 15 bullets in just two seconds during testing, demonstrating the weapon's automatic firing capability.
Following the traffic stop, Ali was initially released from custody. On June 5, 2025, federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint charging him with unlawful possession of a machine gun.
Gunfire Erupts Following Burnsville High School Graduation
Just days after the Minneapolis traffic stop, officers responded to reports of gunfire outside Burnsville High School following the school's graduation ceremony on Friday, June 6, 2025. As previously reported by Limitless Media News, Burnsville police officers assigned to the graduation ceremony heard gunshots at approximately 8:30 p.m., roughly 30 minutes after the event had concluded.
The gunfire was reported in an area west of the high school, where authorities also received reports of multiple altercations. Officers immediately moved toward the disturbance, prompting a substantial response from law enforcement agencies throughout the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area. Despite the reports of gunfire and the significant police response, no injuries were reported.
Authorities apprehended four individuals in connection with the incident and later confirmed that at least one firearm had been recovered. Among those taken into custody was Ali, who was also wanted by federal authorities in connection with the machine gun discovered during the June 3 traffic stop.
According to the October 28, 2026, federal sentencing announcement, officers executing the federal arrest warrant encountered Ali at the scene of what authorities described as a suspected gang-related shooting during a Twin Cities high school graduation. Federal prosecutors said officers heard Ali yell, "you missed," toward an individual believed to have been involved in the shooting.
The U.S. Attorney's Office also reported that an officer involved in the earlier Minneapolis traffic stop recognized Ali as a member of the "Muddy" street gang, which federal authorities described as having a history of suspected involvement in weapons offenses. Although federal authorities referenced Ali's alleged gang association and his presence at the graduation shooting, the federal conviction announced in April 2026 concerned the separate machine gun possession offense.
Four Individuals Apprehended Following Graduation Shooting
In its original June 2025 reporting, Limitless Media News identified four individuals apprehended following the shooting incident outside Burnsville High School, based on information from Burnsville officials and preliminary Dakota County Jail records.
Since the initial arrests, additional court proceedings have updated the charges and legal status of several individuals involved.
Abdikani Mukhtar Abdiwahab
Abdikani Mukhtar Abdiwahab, who was 18 at the time of the incident, is scheduled to stand trial in Dakota County on January 25, 2027, at 9 a.m.
Initial jail records listed preliminary offenses involving drive-by shooting, possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, and carrying a pistol without a permit.
Updated court records supplied for the case identify the following felony charges:
Drive-by shooting toward a person: Dismissed April 21, 2026.
Drive-by shooting toward an unoccupied motor vehicle or building: Dismissed April 21, 2026.
Aiding an offender — accomplice after the fact: Listed in court records, with no disposition shown.
Aiding an offender — harboring or concealing to avoid arrest: Listed in court records, with no disposition shown.
The updated records indicate that the two drive-by shooting counts were dismissed, while the two aiding-an-offender counts are also listed. The supplied court record does not show a disposition for those remaining counts.
Abdulahi Jama Ali
Abdulahi Jama Ali, also 18 at the time of the June 2025 incident, is scheduled for a jury trial beginning January 11, 2027, at 9 a.m.
Initial Dakota County Jail records listed preliminary offenses involving drive-by shooting toward a motor vehicle or building, possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, and carrying a pistol in public without a permit.
Ali's upcoming jury trial confirms that court proceedings remain ongoing. However, the supplied records do not independently confirm updated charge details or dispositions for his case.
Amiir Mawlid Ali
Amiir Mawlid Ali, who was 18 at the time, was initially listed in Dakota County Jail records on a felony weapons offense involving prohibited possession of a machine gun. After his arrest, the FBI's Minneapolis Field Office held Ali under its jurisdiction.
His case subsequently proceeded through federal court, where a jury convicted him on April 16, 2026, of unlawfully possessing a machine gun equipped with an illegal conversion device. On October 28, 2026, Ali was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for the offense, which stemmed from a June 3, 2025, Minneapolis traffic stop rather than the graduation shooting itself.
Mustafe Yusuf Omar
Mustafe Yusuf Omar, who was 18 at the time, was apprehended following the graduation incident and initially listed in Dakota County Jail records for misdemeanor trespassing involving refusal to depart. No updated court disposition for Omar was provided in the latest information.
The original arrest information reflected preliminary allegations rather than convictions. The pending state court proceedings involving the other defendants are separate from Amiir Mawlid Ali's completed federal machine gun case. All defendants facing unresolved criminal charges are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Limitless Media News previously covered the initial arrests and subsequent charges in the following reports:
Four Arrested in Connection with Burnsville High School Shooting Incident; FBI Involved
Two Teens Formally Charged in Burnsville High School Graduation Shooting
Large Law Enforcement Response to Burnsville Incident
The June 6, 2025 shooting prompted a significant regional response involving officers from multiple agencies across Dakota, Scott and Hennepin counties. According to Limitless Media News' original reporting, responding agencies included police departments from Prior Lake, Eagan, Lakeville, Savage, Bloomington, Apple Valley, Hastings, Rosemount and Inver Grove Heights. Additional assistance came from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, Scott County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota State Patrol and ATF.
Burnsville police acknowledged help from neighboring agencies after the incident. Authorities reported no injuries despite the gunfire and multiple disturbances outside the graduation ceremony.
Federal Jury Convicts Ali in April 2026
Following the investigation into the June 3, 2025, traffic stop, Ali's case proceeded through the federal court system. On April 16, 2026, a jury in the District of Minnesota found Ali guilty of one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun.
The conviction followed the presentation of evidence involving the modified firearm, extended ammunition magazine, DNA findings, squad car video, and expert testimony concerning the weapon's firing capabilities. At the time of his conviction, Ali faced a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division emphasized the danger associated with illegal firearm conversion devices following the verdict.
"This defendant possessed an extremely dangerous weapon – a machine gun created by the application of a device known as a switch that converts a legal firearm to an illegal one," Duva said.
"Illegal weapons like this are unduly dangerous and offer nothing legitimate in a law-abiding society. The Criminal Division will continue to prosecute illegal firearms offenses like this one to keep communities safe."
FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson also praised the conviction, emphasizing the cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
"The verdict announced today makes clear that possession of a firearm modified to function as a machine gun will not be tolerated," Dotson said.
Ali Sentenced to 33 Months in Federal Prison
On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Ali had been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for the machine gun possession conviction. The sentence amounts to two years and nine months of imprisonment.
Rosen said the sentence holds Ali accountable for possessing a weapon capable of causing significant harm.
"The defendant possessed an extremely dangerous weapon that is capable of extreme damage. Today’s sentence ensures that this defendant is held accountable for the public safety threat that he posed to the community," Rosen said.
Dotson also addressed concerns about gang-related gun violence in the Twin Cities, noting that federal investigators continue to prioritize cases involving illegal firearms and suspected gang activity.
"While violent crime rates are down across the board, we have seen far too much gang violence in the Twin Cities over the past few months," Dotson said.
He added that the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and its law enforcement partners remain focused on investigating individuals suspected of contributing to violent crime involving illegal firearms.
The federal investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Albania Concepción prosecuted the case, with Trial Attorney Alexandra Swain of the Justice Department's Violent Crime and Racketeering Section also identified as a prosecutor in the April 2026 conviction announcement.
Connection to Burnsville Graduation Shooting
Ali's sentencing represents a confirmed federal court outcome involving one of the four individuals apprehended following the June 2025 shooting outside Burnsville High School. The case also provides additional details about the circumstances preceding his arrest at the graduation scene, including the discovery of a stolen, illegally modified firearm during a Minneapolis traffic stop three days earlier.
While the federal government referenced Ali's presence at the suspected gang-related shooting and his alleged gang association, his 33-month prison sentence was imposed for the June 3 machine gun possession offense, not for firing shots at Burnsville High School. The October 28 federal announcement did not establish that Ali fired a weapon during the graduation incident or provide updated outcomes for the other individuals arrested that evening.
The June 6th shooting remains a significant part of the case's local history, having prompted a large multiagency law enforcement response shortly after Burnsville High School's graduation ceremony.
This report incorporates previous reporting by Limitless Media News from June 2025, along with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota's April 16, 2026, conviction announcement and October 28, 2026, sentencing announcement.
Additional Reporting
Heavy Police Presence After Gunshots Reported at Burnsville High School Graduation; Four Apprehended
Four Arrested in Connection with Burnsville High School Shooting Incident; FBI Involved
Two Teens Formally Charged in Burnsville High School Graduation Shooting
Written by: Will Wight
