21-year-old with hammer beats 12-year-old brother in horrific attack, MN cops say

A 21-year-old man used a hammer to carry out a violent attack on his preteen brother, splattering the boy’s blood across his bedroom walls, Minnesota authorities say.

Faysal Omar Hersi, charged with first-degree assault following the May 16 incident in Brooklyn Park, is accused of harming his younger brother following a string of issues, arguments and fights between the siblings, according to a statement of probable cause.

The 12-year-old victim was on the ground in his bedroom when he was discovered by his sister, authorities said. He was “bleeding profusely” and taken to a hospital

Hersi was the only other person in the home when the sister left for about 30 minutes, according to the Brooklyn Park Police Department. The boy told his sister that Hersi had hit him, police said.

As officers searched the home, they found blood splatter on the boy’s bedroom walls and a bloody hammer in a recycling bin, police said.

Hersi turned himself in at the police station later that night, police said. He remains in the Hennepin County jail as of May 22, records show.

Doctors say the 12-year-old victim likely has brain damage, police said. He was unconscious and intubated as of May 19.

Brooklyn Park is a northwest suburb of Minneapolis.

This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 2:33 PM with the headline "21-year-old with hammer beats 12-year-old brother in horrific attack, MN cops say."