After serving honorably in Afghanistan, Jake Wallin wanted to continue doing important work. Tragic events occurred when he began his new career as a police officer in Fargo, North Dakota. Wallin was fatally shot on Friday in what the onlookers said was an ambush.
Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes, two police officers, were hurt during the encounter and are now in a serious condition. Mohamad Barakat, the alleged gunman, was eventually taken down by Officer Zach Robinson after he heroically responded and was 37 years old, according to KFYR-TV.
WATCH: Church Leaders PRAYED you’d never see this…
In a typical vehicle collision, the police were summoned to the site.
According to Chenoa Peterson, a witness, the event was an ambush, as The Associated Press noted.
Her report claims that Barakat was riding in the back of a car that was parked close to the accident scene. She claims that he fired his gun when the police officers were about 20 feet away and approaching.
“He was holding up the trunk of the car with his arm, and then I see the gun come up, and he set it on his shoulder and just pointed it directly at an officer in front of him. It was like 10 shots right away,” she said.
She said that the cops were ignorant of the incident taking on nearby.
According to Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski, it is still unclear why Barakat opened fire.
“The events of the last 24 hours have been among the most difficult in our department’s nearly 150-year history. This was a heinous and unthinkable act of aggression against our officers and the entire metro community,” He stated Saturday, as reported by CBS.
TRENDING: Little-Known Trick Clears Blurry Eyesight
“As we all try to comprehend what has transpired and mourn the impact on our team and the entire community, we are bracing for extremely difficult days ahead.”
Along with the police, a fire truck and a 25-year-old woman were also injured in the crossfire, according to KCRA-TV.
Police had a prior encounter with Barakat, “but not anything significant,” according to Zibolski, who also noted that the investigation into a potential ambush was ongoing.
After finishing his training, Wallin, a 23-year-old police officer from St. Michael, Minnesota, just joined the Fargo department. He had previously served in Afghanistan as a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard.
“He served his country, came back here and wanted nothing more but to serve in a position with purpose and meaning – his exact words — and he did that,” Zibolski said.
Zibolski showed a compelling video of Wallin addressing his job choice during a news conference on Saturday.
“Throughout my entire life, I’ve always wanted to work in some sort of position that had purpose behind my job and police officer is always what kind of came to me,” Wallin said.
“I don’t want to be sitting in an office wondering why I’m here every day. I want to be out, I want to be doing something that I can tell myself at the end of the day I made a difference somehow,” he said.
