Brooklyn Center man takes plea in 2025 drive-by that paralyzed athlete

Osman Hi Kamara, a 22-year-old from Brooklyn Center, has pleaded guilty in Hennepin County District Court to aiding and abetting second-degree assault in a 2025 drive-by shooting in Brooklyn Park that left college football player Michael Blidi Jr. paralyzed from the knees down.^[1]

Kamara entered the guilty plea on Nov. 3 as part of a deal that calls for a stayed 36-month prison sentence and up to 180 days in jail, with the final punishment still subject to a judge's approval at sentencing.^[1]

The conviction stems from a drive-by attack on May 29, 2025, on the 6000 block of Garwood Road North in Brooklyn Park, where gunfire struck Blidi in the lower back and severed his ability to walk below the knees.^[1] Investigators say the shooting grew out of an argument during a basketball game, when Blidi allegedly punched another man; one of the men involved later messaged that he would "take care of it," a threat police now describe as a precursor to the ambush-style attack.^[1]

Blidi, who had earned a full football scholarship to Iowa Central and is the younger brother of NFL defensive tackle Philip Blidi, has been left to rebuild his life as a paralyzed athlete while the criminal case moves toward sentencing.^[1] A GoFundMe set up to help cover his medical care, rehabilitation and accessibility needs has raised about $16,500 toward a $30,000 goal, underscoring both the long-term financial toll of the shooting and the community support that has rallied around him.^[1]

1. FOX 9