Around 4:45 a.m., dispatch received additional calls of gunfire in the same area. Officers returned to investigate. Shortly after 5 a.m., a resident reported a possible suspect had entered a home in the 1100 block of 3rd Street South. Officers located a discarded rifle near the front of the property and made phone contact with a person inside.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Clay County District Court, officers made contact with Shabaiash, who briefly exited the back of the home before retreating inside. He then exited through a door on the west side of the residence carrying a rifle and fled on foot through nearby yards.
Officers established a perimeter and issued a shelter-in-place alert for nearby residents.
Multi-Agency Search
A coordinated search followed, with help from a Clay County Sheriff’s Office K9 team and a drone deployed by the Moorhead Fire Department. The drone located Shabaiash hiding in a backyard, still in possession of a rifle. The K9 team took him into custody.
Shabaiash was transported to a local hospital for injuries sustained during the K9 apprehension, then booked into the Clay County Jail. A second alert was issued, lifting the shelter-in-place after he was detained.
The Moorhead Police Department thanked the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota State Patrol, and Moorhead Fire Department for their assistance.
The Victim’s Account
While investigators were collecting evidence at the scene a man drove up to the residence. He told police he lives there with Shabaiash.
The victim said Shabaiash had been drinking heavily earlier in the day and was extremely intoxicated and agitated during a car ride home. Once they arrived, the victim said he stayed in the driver’s seat to call his parents. That’s when, he told police, Shabaiash came out of the house and began shooting at him with a revolver.
The victim said he heard multiple gunshots and believed his vehicle had been struck three times. He said one round came through the car door and into the center console directly beneath his leg. He drove away from the scene and went to his parents’ home before later returning and speaking with police.
Evidence
Investigators found four bullet holes in the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle, consistent with his account. Four .45-caliber long Colt shell casings were recovered at the scene.
A search warrant led to the recovery of multiple firearms inside the home, including:
- A Smith & Wesson .357 revolver
- A Canik 9mm semi-automatic handgun
- A Model 1873 .45-caliber Colt revolver, loaded with five live rounds
- A semi-automatic rifle
The victim recovered a projectile from the center console and turned it over to investigators.
Charges & Detention
Shabaiash made his initial appearance in court on April 20, with his next hearing scheduled for May 14.
Attempted murder in the second degree carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison under Minnesota law.
