A Moorhead man punched a woman in the face and then shot a man in the stomach at an apartment in Moorhead, prosecutors say.
Officers were sent to an apartment building in Moorhead at about 8 p.m. on September 1, 2026, after a report that a man had been shot and the shooter had left with the firearm.
Daniel Owen Garbow, 38, faces charges of attempted second-degree murder and domestic assault within 10 years of a previous conviction.
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According to court documents, officers arrived to find the victim lying outside the apartment building with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. The victim was conscious and told officers he did not know who shot him or where the shooter had gone. Officers provided medical care until ambulance personnel arrived.
A woman at the scene told police she had information about the shooting. She said Garbow had driven her to the apartment earlier that day in a black Kia with a broken taillight, and that they were there to visit someone. She told officers that Garbow left at about 4 p.m. and came back about five to 10 minutes before the 911 call.
According to her account, Garbow came back, asked where she was using a vulgar name for her, then walked up to her and punched her twice on the right side of her face. She said someone from the back room called out to Garbow, using his nickname “J,” and as Garbow headed down the hallway, the victim stood up from the couch. She believed Garbow thought someone had insulted him, and the two men approached each other.
She heard bumping against the walls and then a loud pop, which she believed was a gunshot. She then heard the victim call for someone to call 911 and saw him on the floor as Garbow left the apartment.
Officers noted visible injuries to the woman’s right eye and photographed them. Detectives later executed a search warrant at the apartment and found a spent bullet casing in the hallway near the kitchen entrance.
The victim was later interviewed at the hospital. He told police he did not know the person who shot him and said he was trying to defend a woman who Garbow was “slapping up.” The victim said Garbow was calling people names in the apartment, and when the victim stood up and said “there are no p****** here man,” Garbow started to confront him. The victim said he started to take a swing at Garbow when Garbow reached for his pocket, and that he swatted at Garbow’s hand because he thought Garbow was reaching for a knife. He said Garbow then shot him once in the stomach.
Police later found a black 2005 Kia believed to belong to Garbow in Fargo, North Dakota. When the complaint was filed, police had not found Garbow and had information that he fled to North Dakota.
The complaint notes that Garbow has a prior conviction for domestic assault from November 2, 2016.
The charges were filed September 8 in Clay County District Court.
About This Charge
Minnesota’s criminal-attempt statute, § 609.17, limits punishment for attempt to no more than half the maximum for the completed offense. Attempted second-degree murder carries up to 20 years in prison.
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