Dramatic police body cam footage shows how the Fargo shooting that killed a officer played out – and prevented a potential mass killing event

• Dramatic police body camera footage sheds new light on last month's Fargo shooting ambush.
• The video shows a shootout between Police Officer Zach Robinson and gunman Mohamad Barakat.

Dramatic new video footage has emerged of a shooting ambush in Fargo, North Dakota, last month.

The shooting left one police officer dead and two other officers and a member of the public injured, the AP reported.

Four officers were attending to a fender bender on July 14 when Mohamad Barakat suddenly unleashed a volley of fire from a .223-caliber rifle, the report says.

In the new footage, taken from Officer Zach Robinson's body camera, the sound of Barakat's fire rips through the air as Robinson tells dispatchers, "We've got a man with an AK-47, he's shooting at us."

Robinson fires back while ducking in and out of cover behind a vehicle in the road.

"We've got three officers down ... send everybody," Robinson can also be heard shouting.

The gunman, 37, killed Officer Jake Wallin, wounded officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes, and bystander Karlee Koswick.

Robinson ultimately shot and killed Barakat, preventing what authorities say could have been a much bigger attack considering the stash of weapons found in the shooter's car — which included numerous guns and 1,800 rounds of ammunition, as well as explosives and propane tanks that had to be blown up by the bomb squad in a controlled explosion.

23-year-old Wallin had only been on the job for three months when he was killed, CBS News Minnesota reported. His funeral drew crowds of people wanting to show their support and mourn the officer.

Officer Zach Robinson's body camera footage was presented by North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski on Thursday.

Wrigley said: "Motive? Obvious motive to kill. I mean driven by hate, driven by wanting to kill."

Dotas, Hawes, and Koswick are all now out of hospital.

Gunman had searched "mass shooting events"

Police interviewed Barakat about stocks of guns, ammunition, and propane tanks in his apartment in 2022.

He was also interviewed in 2021 after the FBI received an anonymous tip expressing concern about Barakat's mental health.

All evidence suggests that Barakat came upon the July 14 traffic crash by "happenstance" and that his ensuing ambush was a diversion from his much bigger intended target, state Attorney General Drew Wrigley said at a press conference in July.

Internet searches by Barakat included "mass shooting events" and brought up a news article with the July 13 headline, "Thousands enjoy first day of Downtown Fargo Street Fair," Wrigley said

On the day of the attack, the downtown fair was on its second day and was less than three miles from Barakat's fatal encounter with the four police officers. It's unclear if it was the intended target, though, as Barakat also searched for information on the Red River Valley Fair, which was just a six-mile drive from the scene, the attorney general said.