A Minnesota jury has delivered a split verdict in the disorderly conduct trial of Shiloh Hendrix, finding the 37-year-old mother not guilty on the count related to her words directed at the eight-year-old Somali boy who was stealing from her, but guilty on the count stemming from her comments to the man who filmed and confronted her at a Rochester playground.
The jury reached a verdict just before 10:12 p.m. local time, after over eight hours of deliberations.
Shiloh verdict.
Disorderly conduct
Count 1 towards the child: not guilty
Count 2 towards the videographer: guilty https://t.co/yyWvvE147n
— Tom Hennessy (@Tomhennessey69) July 24, 2026
The incident took place on April 28, 2025, at Roy Sutherland Playground in Soldiers Field Memorial Park.
Hendrix was at the park with her toddler when the boy reached into her diaper bag and took an applesauce pouch. She confronted the child and allegedly used a racial slur.
A Somali man named Sharmake Beyle Omar, who was not the child’s father, began recording the scene, confronted Hendrix as she was holding her toddler, and continued filming as he demanded she repeat the slur.
BREAKING: Shiloh Hendrix charged for the viral video of her saying a slur. She now is facing jail. pic.twitter.com/9or7jGIDO3
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 26, 2025
The roughly 49-second video was posted online and quickly amassed millions of views, triggering intense online backlash against Hendrix. Her Social Security number, home address, and phone number were leaked. She reported threats against her family, harassment of relatives, and concerns that her older child might not be able to return to school.
In the aftermath, a GiveSendGo campaign was launched to raise money for Hendrix. The campaign is still active.
In the description, Hendrix explained that a child had stolen from her 18-month-old son’s diaper bag, that she had “called the kid out for what he was,” and that the viral video and subsequent doxxing had placed her family in danger.
The fundraiser ultimately raised more than $846,000.
Hendrix later stated that the donations helped her family purchase a home with land in a safer area, pay for security, and cover legal expenses.
On August 26, 2025, the Rochester City Attorney’s Office charged Hendrix with three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, later reduced to two.
Each count carried a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Hendrix pleaded not guilty.
Her attorney, Brian Karalus of Minneapolis, consistently argued that her language, while offensive to some, was protected under the First Amendment and did not meet the legal standard for “fighting words” or disorderly conduct.
A motion to dismiss the charges was denied in May.
Court records show that in 2022, the man filming, Sharmake Beyle Omar, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct stemming from an alleged incident involving a minor.
Those charges were dismissed by the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office in 2025 “in the interests of justice.”
Sharmake Beyle Omar was charged with raping a 16 year old after she ran away from her foster home.
Why was he at a playground?
And why isn’t he in jail?
“According to court records, the teenager told law enforcement that Mohamed Omer picked her up at a Rochester Kwik Trip and… https://t.co/SVGRewT8J1 pic.twitter.com/l0JvHmu8Gm
— Lucky Teter (@TheMagaHulk) May 1, 2025
Omar had previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with a 2020 assault case and received a $200 fine.
During the four-day trial, the defense conducted a lengthy cross-examination of the boy’s father, Shire Jimale, that highlighted inconsistencies between his trial testimony and his original police interview.
Jimale had not initially claimed fear that Hendrix would hit the child, yet on the stand he described her as intending to “strike,” “fight,” or “rumble.”
🚨 Shiloh Trial Update, Day 3 🚨
Shiloh’s attorney continued cross-examination of the father today.
After asking the same question four different ways with the help of translators, the father admitted under oath that portions of his testimony from yesterday do not match his… https://t.co/ICYlXg5LEt pic.twitter.com/5MjnmsbrrT
— Tom Hennessy (@Tomhennessey69) July 22, 2026
Jimale had to use multiple interpreters and repeatedly denied involvement in any fundraiser before acknowledging that the family had received roughly $340,000 through an NAACP-backed effort. He also misstated his son’s age.
The state rested its case on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the defense called a Rochester police detective who confirmed that Jimale never mentioned fear of Hendrix during the original interview.
🚨 Shiloh Trial Update, Day 4 Part 2 🚨
The defense called a Rochester Police detective who interviewed the father 10–11 days after the incident. The detective confirmed the father never once claimed he feared Shiloh Hendrix would hit his son, in fact, he never mentioned any… pic.twitter.com/NASpUYT2fu
— Tom Hennessy (@Tomhennessey69) July 23, 2026
The defense closed by arguing that the government was prosecuting a young woman for language alone and that Americans retain the right to speak freely.
Sentencing on the guilty count has not yet been scheduled and could include up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
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