Two Men Admit to Involvement in Rochester Shooting
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Two of the men charged in connection with one of two shootings that occurred in broad daylight in Rochester back in May have worked out deals with Olmsted County prosecutors.
29-year-old Kaiser Nur and 26-year-old Abdulkadir Abukar entered guilty pleas to drive by shooting charges, while attempted murder and second-degree assault charges were dismissed. Nur and Abukar were arrested after multiple shots were fired at a 36-year-old man’s car as he was trying to get away from the shooters near the McDonald’s restaurant on North Broadway. A third suspect, 25-year-old Abdirahman Abdullahi, was later arrested in the Twin Cities. His case is still pending.
The victim told police he believed he was being targeted because of role in a crime that occurred in 2009. The shooting occurred just days after an unrelated gunbattle erupted in the parking lot of the Olive Garden restaurant in Rochester while the business was crowded with people eating lunch. No injuries were reported in either case.
Nur has the distinction of also being the victim of a shooting. After his arrest, police reported Nur had been shot in the back of the head years ago, and although he survived, he lost an eye as a result of the nearly fatal incident. Nur has previously served time in prison for two violent crimes in 2009, including an attempted murder case.
Nur’s sentencing hearing for the Rochester shooting is scheduled in early December, while Abukar is set to be sentenced on Friday.