Man who shot Somali-Americans convicted of attempted murder

MINNEAPOLIS – A jury has convicted a Minnesota man of attempted murder for shooting and wounding two Somali-American men in Minneapolis last year.

Twenty-six-year-old Anthony Sawina of Lauderdale was found guilty Thursday on all nine felony counts he faced, including attempted first-degree murder.

Sawina maintained that he fired in self-defence. The defence attorney told jurors that the idea that Sawina planned to try and kill the men was “nuts.”

But Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Patrick Lofton argued that premeditation can happened in a short period of time.

The shooting happened last June in the Dinkytown area near the University of Minnesota. The two men who were shot and wounded were on their way to prayers after playing basketball.

Sawina is scheduled to be sentenced June 12.