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Brandt Williams
Minneapolis

Man gets 18 years for Mpls. grocery store shooting

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A 25-year-old man convicted of attempted murder in Minneapolis was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years in prison.

Zakaria Yusuf shot and wounded a man in broad daylight last fall in a corner market in front of several horrified witnesses. In June, a jury convicted Yusuf of attempted murder, first and second degree assault and illegal possession of a gun.

Yusuf will likely serve about 11 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. Defense attorney Fred Goetz asked for a lighter sentence, saying Yusuf has lived with untreated mental illness for most of his life.

Before announcing the sentence, Hennepin County District Court Judge Daniel Moreno said the crimes reflected a "disregard for life that is disturbing."

The shooting, which police called gang related, was one of several violent confrontations between young Somali men in Minneapolis last year.

The case was unusual because the prosecution relied on testimony from the shooting victim, Mohamed Omar, who refused to name Yusuf as the person who shot him. The state's case also relied on surveillance video which showed Yusuf wearing clothing similar to that of the shooter.

Family members had said Yusuf could not have shot Omar on Sept. 22 at a Minneapolis grocery store because he was at home in St. Paul.