On the evening of May 19, 2024, 35-year-old Lilian Magali Poalacin Perez was sitting in the backseat of a vehicle in a Minneapolis alley, holding her two-year-old son. They were in an alley on the 2900 block of 18th Avenue South, along with two of her other children, waiting for the children's father who had gone to his brother's home to borrow some tools. Shortly after 9 p.m., another car pulled up behind them.
A man exited the passenger side of that second vehicle and fired multiple shots into the car carrying Poalacin Perez and her children.
Lilian Magali Poalacin Perez, a native of Ambato, Ecuador, was struck by multiple gunshots. Her two-year-old son, who she was holding at the time of the attack, was shot in the face. The children's father returned to the horrific scene to find his wife and son shot. The gunman then allegedly fired at the father several times but missed. Despite her own critical injuries, Poalacin Perez managed to drive her wounded toddler to Children's Minnesota hospital. She was then taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she died from her injuries three days later. Her young son was expected to survive his injuries.
Months after the seemingly random and senseless act of violence, an arrest was made. Investigators used surveillance video and phone tracking to identify 20-year-old Ayale Abdullahi Ali as the shooter. The investigation also found messages on Ali's phone indicating he was trying to trade guns less than 24 hours after the fatal shooting. Ali was charged with the murder of Lilian Poalacin Perez and for injuring her young son.
Ayale Ali later pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder and one count of first-degree assault. He was sentenced to a total of nearly 38 years in prison for the devastating attack that took a mother's life and forever altered the lives of her family. The motive for the shooting was not made clear in the reports.
