FARGO, N.D. (NEWSnet/AP) — The man who shot to death a Fargo police officer and wounded two other officers and a civilian, had searched the internet for terms that included “explosive ammo” and “kill fast,” as well as for what crowded-area events might be occurring in or near the city, authorities said Friday.

Mohamad Barakat, who was killed by an officer after the shootings, apparently was driven by hatred and wanting to kill, state Attorney General Drew Wrigley said at a news conference. He didn’t seem to be particular about whom he might target, Wrigley said.

On July 14, Barakat loaded his car with guns, a homemade grenade, gasoline canisters, propane tanks containing improvised explosives, and more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.

About 2 miles from his home, he encountered a fender bender “by happenstance” and stopped to watch from his parked vehicle, Wrigley said. With authorities busy at the scene, Barakat watched for several minutes until officers walked past him. Then, he lifted a .223-caliber rifle out of his window and began to fire, Wrigley said.

The officers who were shot had no time to react and fell in rapid succession. Barakat killed officer Jake Wallin, 23,  and wounded officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes. His gunfire also wounded a fleeing woman, Karlee Koswick, who had been involved in the fender-bender, he said.

The fourth officer at the scene, Zach Robinson, engaged Barakat in a shootout, which ended with Robinson shooting and killing Barakat as bystanders crouched nearby.

Wrigley believes the violence could have been the beginning of a larger attack, since Downtown Fargo Street Fair and Red River Valley Fair were underway.

Barakat was a Syrian national who came to the U.S. on an asylum request in 2012 and became a U.S. citizen in 2019. He amassed an arsenal in recent years, and his internet searches about causing mayhem date to 2018, the attorney general said. Nothing from Barakat’s online activity, phones, the community or his family suggest he had a dislike for police.

Wrigley said Barakat was wearing a vest that was “absolutely stuffed” with magazines and that he “was putting the finishing touches on his shooting skills in the last hours before this assault.”

Barakat had no criminal record or social media presence and had little contact with other people, Wrigley said.

Koswick was badly injured and will have a difficult recovery, Wrigley said. A funeral service for Wallin is planned for Saturday.

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