(Minneapolis) A Somali teenager pleaded guilty Tuesday for his role in a robbery in which three people were killed Jan. 6 at the Seward Market and Halal Meats in south Minneapolis.

Ahmed Shire Ali pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree attempted aggravated robbery in plea agreement that calls for him to be sentenced to 18 years in prison.

He had faced six counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of store employee Abdifatah Warfa, 28, his cousin, Mohamed Warfa, 30, who had stopped to visit, and Anwar Mohammed, 31, a customer.

If he had been convicted on any of the counts, Ali would have spent the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of release.

Both he and the alleged gunman, Mahdi Ali, faced two Hennepin County charges for each killing — murder and first-degree murder while committing and aggravated robbery. The teens were charged as adults. They are not related and have been held on $3 million bail each since their arrests shortly after the killings.

According to the complaint, the two entered the market at E. Franklin and 25th avenues shortly after 7:30 p.m. wearing ski masks intending to rob the store.

Ahmed Ali allegedly confined two people to the back of the store while his friend robbed and shot the men up front, according to a criminal complaint. The prosecutor said Mahdi Ali “showed no concern for human life,” when he went back into the store and shot Anwar Mohammed a second time to make sure he didn’t survive. Numerous video recorders in the store supposedly captured the shootings, and unidentified eyewitnesses testified against the two during grand jury hearings earlier this year, according to the indictments. None of the videos has been made public, nor have the witnesses been named.

Ahmed Ali entered the pleas before Judge Margaret Daly. The Alis were 17 when the shootings occurred.