MANKATO — When police seized a cache of firearms from 24-year-old Mohamed Adan Mohamed, who was suspected of planning a violent attack in April, authorities believed they may have stopped a tragedy before it unfolded.
After exhibiting increasingly erratic and threatening behavior, and evidence found he could be planning a mass casualty event, a risk assessment was conducted and officers petitioned the Blue Earth County District Court under Minnesota’s new red flag law — removing firearms from his home and temporarily prohibiting him from purchasing more.
The case underscored the potentially life-saving power of the law, which has been in effect for a little more than a year.
Passed in 2023 and implemented Jan. 1, 2024, Minnesota’s red flag statute, officially known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders or ERPOs, gives courts the authority to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who pose a significant risk to themselves or others.
According to a flow chart provided by Blue Earth County Attorney Pat McDermott, the law allows police officers, city or county attorneys and family or household members to file a petition. If a judge determines there is credible evidence of danger, the defendant can be ordered to surrender their firearms and be barred from purchasing new ones for a defined period.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety states the law includes provisions for both emergency and long-term orders. An emergency order can be issued for up to 14 days without the respondent present. A hearing must then determine whether a longer-term order, lasting six to 12 months, is warranted. Respondents retain the right to contest the order, seek early termination and appeal the court’s decision.
McDermott said just before the law passed, law enforcement and the Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office had “to get on the same page, knowing this was coming down the pike.”
Mankato has since emerged as a statewide leader in the use of the statute — filing 23 protection orders in less than two years, more than any other city in Minnesota, according to a Star Tribune report.
“I’m a staunch supporter of the Constitution of the United States. With that being said, law enforcement officers for many decades have recognized when people that are encountering a crisis should have their firearms separated from them,” Mankato Director of Public Safety Jeremy Clifton said.
“We’re pretty proud of what we’ve done to both protect the amendment and make sure that at the base of everything we do, we’re trying to protect our citizens from harm.”
Of those 23 petitions, three were filed against women and three were ultimately denied by the court, according to court documents. Almost all of them were petitioned following suicidal ideation, homicidal threats and violence, or a combination of the two.
This tracks with a 2025 study completed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention on Minnesota’s usage of red flag law after one year. Data show 71% of protection orders were initiated by law enforcement and 16% by family members.
Courts granted 95% of emergency and 78% of long-term orders, and 93% of respondents were male. Of the respondents, 58% had a history of suicidal thoughts, 41% had documented mental health issues and 36% of cases involved domestic violence.
Clifton said the department has adopted a structured approach to the petition process, ensuring that officers, attorneys and crisis professionals understand the legal requirements and procedural steps involved.
At the start of 2024, unlike many other agencies, Mankato police reviewed the law and decided that officers were best positioned to petition the court for an extreme risk protection order, Clifton said. Since officers are often directly involved in situations where immediate action is needed, they were trained on how to complete and file the necessary petition forms.
“They’re making decisions on if someone’s going to jail. They’re making decisions on (someone) going to detox. They’re making decisions about (someone) going to the hospital for either physical or mental well-being. They should also be charged with making good decisions about whether or not they should continue possession of firearms,” he said.
The city’s approach relies heavily on interagency collaboration. Mankato police work closely with mental health agencies such as Horizon Homes, their regional Mobile Crisis Team and Blue Earth County Human Services.
These partners play a critical role in assessing threats, stabilizing individuals and providing follow-up support. While mental health professionals are not always able to respond during high-risk moments — particularly those that occur late at night or in volatile environments — they help shape the response in the hours and days that follow.
One key figure in the mental health ecosystem is the Mobile Crisis Team, which operates a 24/7 hotline and dispatches trained professionals to assess individuals in crisis. These assessments help determine the most appropriate level of care, ranging from outpatient therapy to inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.
Crisis Service Treatment Director Tina Olson said when firearms are involved, the crisis team and law enforcement will “co-respond” to ensure maximum safety for everyone.
“We work really closely with law enforcement when it comes to any safety concerns, especially if we’re sending our team out to meet with somebody and they may have weapons that aren’t secured or locked up or there’s an unknown danger,” Olson said. “Then we are able to do an assessment and provide support.”
According to gun safety organization Protect Minnesota, 406 or 72% of all gun deaths in the state in 2024 were suicides and 148 were homicides.
In Blue Earth County, outpatient services are provided by a regional clinic that acts as a central mental health hub for a 10-county area.
Andrew Carr, supervisor at Blue Earth County Mental Health Center, said the clinic, while not a crisis center itself, coordinates regularly with crisis responders and sees patients being referred from the mobile crisis team a couple of times a week.
Carr said the center is also a partner in the Yellow Line Project, a jail diversion initiative that connects individuals in crisis to treatment rather than incarceration. The project aims to address the root causes of behaviors that bring people into contact with the criminal justice system — often mental illness, substance use or trauma — by steering them toward services before charges are filed or after arrest but before booking.
“Clients that sit on the fringes are the hardest clients. It’s easy if they’ve done something to put themselves in jail. It’s easy to get them into the right place. It’s hard when they haven’t done anything wrong necessarily,” Carr said.
“We’re able to get people help that probably wouldn’t be able to get help otherwise, or would probably not be here with us anymore.”
The effectiveness of the law depends not only on professional infrastructure, but also on awareness from the public and law enforcement agencies alike.
Since its implementation, usage has varied significantly across Minnesota’s 87 counties and some jurisdictions have yet to file a single petition. Clifton said higher utilization of the law in Mankato is in part due to greater familiarity and exposure with the process in crisis situations.
“I don’t believe that we’re taking more guns away or encountering more crises in Mankato than any other town our size,” Clifton said. “We have done better education, and we’re using the tool more efficiently.”
In contrast with Mankato’s leading numbers, North Mankato has not used the law. Ross Gullickson, North Mankato police chief, said while he views the law as an “invaluable tool,” the department has not yet found it necessary to utilize the red flag law.
“We have had a few instances that have come very close, but thankfully, in all of those instances, we were able to enlist the help of family members to remove firearms from the person’s home without having to seek a formal court order to do so,” he said.
Nationally, 21 states have enacted red flag laws. As the state continues to assess the law’s impact, Mankato’s early and deliberate implementation offers a glimpse into how red flag laws can be applied not only to prevent violence, but also to support people in the midst of serious mental health challenges — before it’s too late.