Jury convicts shooter of attempted murder

A Hennepin County District Court Jury deliberated six-and-a-half hours before finding a Minneapolis man guilty of attempted murder, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.

Hassan Farth Muse, 29, was convicted Wednesday of attempted murder in the first-degree, attempted murder in the second-degree, one count of drive-by shooting with a dangerous weapon and one count of a felon prohibited from having a firearm. Muse will be sentenced Oct. 8 and the Hennepin County Attorney’s prosecutor will be seeking 20 years in prison.

According to the criminal complaint and testimony in court, on Jan. 21, 2017, officers responded to a shooting near the intersection of Nicollet Avenue South and 15th Street West. Upon arrival at the scene, police found 10 discharged cartridge casings and a few drops of blood on the ground. They then received information the victim had arrived at the emergency room of HCMC.

Officers interviewed three witnesses who went to the hospital with the victim. The witnesses reported that they were in their car, a white Toyota Corolla, near a café, when a dark tan Toyota Rav4 pulled up, blocking their car’s path. Muse got out of the Rav4, walked back to the rear passenger side of the Toyota, talked to the victim through the car window and then pulled out a gun and started shooting the victim. Muse got back in the Rav4 and left the scene. The witnesses expressed extreme fear of Muse due to his gang affiliation and reputation for being a violent person.

Two days later, the victim was able to talk to investigators. His account matched that of the witnesses. The victim also said he knew Muse well and identified him in a photo line-up.

In court, a video was shown of one of the witnesses giving his statement to police. When asked why he was hesitant to say who did the shooting, the witness replied, “I am not hesitant, I am extremely, extremely, extremely scared for my life.”

Muse Criminal Complaint (PDF)