Fargo police identify suspect in downtown homicide; two people killed in 30-minute span

FARGO, N.D. — Fargo Police said Monday that two men were killed and two others were shot early Sunday in two related incidents about 30 minutes apart, and that investigators have identified a suspect in the Broadway homicide and obtained a warrant for his arrest.

Police identified the two people killed as Azim Holmes, 20, who died after shots were fired about 1:56 a.m. in the 50 block of Broadway, and Elijah Hughes, 21, who was found shot about 2:26 a.m. in the 4700 block of 16th Avenue South. "We wanna start by offering condolences to the family of Azim Holmes, a 20 year old Fargo resident ... and the family of Elijah Hughes, a 21 year old Fargo resident," Fargo Police Chief (name not specified) said at a news conference.

The department said investigators have determined the two incidents appear connected and tied to a long-running feud between two groups of individuals. "This appears to be going on for some time," the chief said, adding that investigators do not yet know the motive.

The first shooting occurred on the sidewalk in the 50 block of Broadway and moved into a parking area between District 64 and Fort Knox, police said. Officers who were patrolling downtown heard the shots and provided immediate life-saving care. The department said an officer observed a man with a gun near one of the victims and pursued a vehicle that fled the scene; the vehicle later led officers into Island Park where a person jumped from the moving vehicle and ran. The driver was arrested for fleeing and another passenger later was arrested, the department said.

Captain Bill Allfeldt, commander of the investigations division, described intensive investigative work over the past 36 hours. Investigators executed multiple search warrants and processed evidence using the Real Time Crime Center and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) in coordination with federal partners and the ATF. Allfeldt said investigators logged roughly 414.5 combined staff hours from investigators and civilian staff in the first 36 hours of the probe.

Police said three firearms were recovered and that a Cass County arrest warrant has been issued for Tyrique Jones in connection with the Broadway homicide. "He should be considered armed and dangerous, and we don't want anyone to be approaching him," the chief said, urging anyone who sees Jones to call 911 and to report locations to dispatch so officers can respond.

Authorities said they are also identifying a suspect in the Sixteenth Avenue South homicide but had not yet corroborated enough information to publicly name that person. The department described the overall response as a regional effort, citing mutual aid from Moorhead Police Department, West Fargo Police Department, the Cass and Clay County sheriff's offices, the North Dakota Highway Patrol and other partners.

Reporters pressed police on whether the shootings were gang-related; the chief said there is "no indication at all that there's any gang relationships" but that the incidents appear to involve two opposing groups and that detectives are continuing to connect evidence. Police emphasized that cases such as these require time to build probable cause and execute lawful search warrants before releasing suspect identities.

Officials pushed back on questions about the timing of public updates, saying investigators had limited releasable information until a suspect was identified and that the department followed investigative procedures. They also noted that Fargo had recorded few homicides and relatively low levels of gun violence in the months before Sunday, while acknowledging that the events represented a "very bad day" of violence for the city.

The investigation is ongoing. Police said they will provide additional information as evidence is corroborated and warrants are served, and again asked anyone with relevant tips or sightings to call 911.