Ahmed Mahamed Badal, a 35-year-old Black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a violent encounter in the early hours of April 12, 2021. The incident unfolded shortly after 2:00 a.m. near the intersection of 14th Avenue South and East 28th Street, where police were dispatched following a ShotSpotter activation alert.
Upon arrival, officers discovered a two-vehicle crash. Inside one of the cars, they found 15-year-old Jaden Mitchell Blackmon, who had been fatally shot.
As more officers secured the scene, they found Ahmed Badal lying in the middle of the street about a block away. He had also sustained a gunshot wound, and though officers attempted life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead by paramedics. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that both Badal and Blackmon died from gunshot wounds to the chest and ruled their deaths as homicides.
According to court documents, the investigation revealed that Badal’s death was connected to an armed robbery attempt. Surveillance video captured the crash between Badal’s Hyundai and a suspect vehicle, which was allegedly driven by a 14-year-old. After the collision, a second suspect car arrived on the scene. A man got out of that car and began walking toward Badal, who was also walking toward the intersection. As they neared each other, the suspect pulled out a gun and began shooting at Badal, who tried to run before collapsing in the street.
In November 2022, authorities charged a man with murder in connection with the shooting and crash. The criminal complaint stated that the suspect admitted he and several accomplices, including the 14-year-old driver and Jaden Blackmon, were armed with guns and had been out robbing people that night. He also allegedly stated that one of his accomplices had accidentally shot and killed their 15-year-old accomplice, Blackmon, in the chest. During the robbery, another man was shot in the leg but suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
As of November 2022, the case against the charged suspect was moving forward in the legal system. Police have asked anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
