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Killing of Dolal Idd

SOLVED2020Holiday gas station, Cedar Avenue and East 36th Street, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Dolal Idd, a 23-year-old Somali-American man, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with Minneapolis police officers at approximately 6:15 p.m. on December 30, 2020, in the parking lot of a Holiday gas station near Cedar Avenue and East 36th Street in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. The location was about one mile from where George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, and Idd's death was the first killing by a Minneapolis police officer since Floyd's.

Minneapolis police had been investigating Idd, who was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction, for illegally selling firearms. A confidential informant arranged a sting in which an undercover buyer would purchase a MAC-10-style pistol from Idd. When officers moved to arrest Idd in the gas station parking lot, he struck several police vehicles with his car while attempting to flee, then fired a handgun through his rolled-up driver's-side window, striking a police vehicle occupied by several officers. Officers Paul Huynh, Darcy Klund, and Jason Schmitt returned fire, killing Idd at the scene. A female passenger, identified as Idd's girlfriend, was unharmed, and no officers were injured. Investigators recovered a handgun and two spent cartridges near Idd, and a backpack containing a Leinad PM-11 machine pistol and ammunition on the passenger side. An autopsy classified Idd's death as a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds, with toxicology showing THC and fentanyl in his system.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) investigated the shooting, issuing a preliminary report on January 4, 2021, stating Idd struck police vehicles and fired first. Hours after the shooting, agents from the BCA and Hennepin County Sheriff's Office executed a "knock and announce" search warrant at Idd's family home in Eden Prairie, seeking firearms; no weapons were recovered, and the family said they felt "terrorized" by the raid, during which they were not immediately told Idd had died.

The Dakota County Attorney's Office reviewed the officers' conduct after Hennepin County deferred under a multi-county agreement on officer-involved deaths. On August 6, 2021, Dakota County Attorney Kathryn Keena released a 13-page charging decision memorandum concluding that the officers' use of deadly force was legally justified and that no criminal charges would be filed against Huynh, Klund, or Schmitt.

Idd's death, coming seven months after George Floyd's murder, reignited local debate over policing and race relations. Protests occurred at the shooting scene the night of December 30, 2020, at a vigil the next day, in a march of up to 1,000 people on January 3, 2021, at a Black Lives Matter rally on January 9, 2021, and at demonstrations outside Governor Tim Walz's residence, including after the August 2021 charging decision. Idd's family and advocates called for an independent investigation and for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to review the case. Idd's name continued to be invoked in subsequent Minneapolis-area protests over police violence, including during the Derek Chauvin trial and after the deaths of Daunte Wright and Winston Boogie Smith.

Key facts

Victims
Dolal Idd
Date
2020
Location
Holiday gas station, Cedar Avenue and East 36th Street, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1997-07-18

    Dolal Bayle Idd is born in Somalia; his family later resettles in the United States.

  2. 2020-12

    A confidential police informant learns that a firearms seller nicknamed "Bird" (later identified as Dolal Idd) is attempting to sell guns.

  3. 2020-12-30

    Minneapolis police officers Paul Huynh, Darcy Klund, and Jason Schmitt fatally shoot Dolal Idd during a firearms sting operation at a Holiday gas station in Minneapolis after Idd fired at officers.

  4. 2020-12-31

    Investigators execute a 'knock and announce' search warrant at the Idd family home in Eden Prairie in the early morning; no firearms are recovered. The Hennepin County medical examiner identifies Idd and rules his death a homicide. Minneapolis police release a 27-second body camera video segment.

  5. 2021-01-03

    Up to 1,000 protesters march in south Minneapolis over Idd's death and the search of his family's home.

  6. 2021-01-04

    The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension releases a preliminary report on the shooting.

  7. 2021-01-09

    Several hundred people attend a racial justice rally in downtown Minneapolis organized by Black Lives Matter Minnesota, connecting Idd's death to broader police violence issues.

  8. 2021-03-21

    Demonstrators rally outside Governor Tim Walz's residence calling for an independent investigation into Idd's death.

  9. 2021-06-28

    The Dakota County Attorney's Office receives the full BCA case file on the shooting.

  10. 2021-08-06

    Dakota County Attorney Kathryn Keena releases a charging decision memorandum concluding the officers' use of force was legally justified; no criminal charges are filed.

  11. 2021-08-13

    Protests seeking further review of Idd's death are held outside the governor's residence in Saint Paul, continuing through August 15, 2021.

  12. 2022-01-04

    Activists and Idd's family rally outside Governor Walz's residence, calling for further investigation and release of additional evidence.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Darcy Klund

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Minneapolis police sergeant who fired at Idd; found by Dakota County to have been legally justified in using deadly force, no charges filed.

  • Dolal Idd

    VICTIM

    23-year-old Somali-American man fatally shot by Minneapolis police officers on December 30, 2020, during a firearms sting operation.

  • Jason Schmitt

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Minneapolis police officer who fired at Idd; found by Dakota County to have been legally justified in using deadly force, no charges filed.

  • Paul Huynh

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Minneapolis police officer who fired at Idd; found by Dakota County to have been legally justified in using deadly force, no charges filed.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Holiday gas station, Cedar Avenue and East 36th Street, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota

44.9382, -93.2479

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Dolal Idd, a 23-year-old Somali-American man, was fatally shot by Minneapolis police officers on December 30, 2020, during a firearms sting operation after he shot at officers from inside his car. Dakota County prosecutors later concluded the officers' use of force was legally justified and filed no charges.
Where did the killing happen?
Holiday gas station, Cedar Avenue and East 36th Street, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Minnesota

Sources

  1. PRESSContemporaneous coverage of the Minneapolis police shooting and home raid related to Dolal IddThe New York Times · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage of the killing of Dolal IddAssociated Press · 2026-07-10
  3. ENCYCLOPEDICKilling of Dolal IddWikipedia · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026