A jury convicted Shiloh Hendrix, a Minnesota woman, of disorderly conduct Thursday night over how she treated a bystander who recorded her hurling a racial slur at an eight-year-old autistic boy last year. However, the 37-year-old was acquitted of a separate charge tied directly to her conduct toward the child.
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In May last year, a video went viral on social media, showing Hendrix hurling racial slurs at a child in a Rochester park. The clip showed a man confronting Hendrix for using the n-word, with Hendrix claiming she lost her cool after the child stole a diaper bag from her 18-month-old baby. She later launched a GiveSendGo fundraiser, saying she needed money to “protect” her family as the man circulating the video “has caused my family, and myself, great turmoil.”
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Hendrix was charged with two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct after an April 2025 confrontation at Roy Sutherland Playground in Soldier’s Field Park went viral. Jurors deliberated for roughly nine hours before finding Hendrix guilty, MPR News reported. She was then immediately sentenced to a stayed 90-day jail term, one year of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine.
Hendrix’s attorney, Brian Karalus, has planned to appeal. “I think it’s pathetic,” he said after the verdict, adding that he was “shocked.”
The Rochester City Attorney’s Office, which brought the charges, acknowledged that the incident was painful to the community. “Ms. Hendrix fully admitted to her hateful and racist conduct, toward a child with a disability and others, and she has profited immensely while showing no remorse,” the office said in a statement.
Sharmake Omar, who filmed himself confronting Hendrix, later said in an interview with a local news outlet that he received death threats from social media users after Hendrix “called attention to” his police record on her campaign page. Omar reportedly has a minor criminal record consisting of traffic violations and a 2021 guilty plea for disorderly conduct. More severe past allegations of assault were formally dropped, per KIMT3.
The Rochester City Attorney’s Office further said in its statement, “Since 2025, we have recognized the significant attention and emotion surrounding this case, as well as the complex and lasting impacts situations like this have on communities of color and on our broader community. In the time following the incident, conversations and community‑driven activities began unfolding across many different spaces, reflecting both immediate responses and long‑term needs. This work continues today and remains an important part of supporting community reconciliation and progress.”
