Prosecutors Say Accused Highway 169 Killer Pointed Guns At Other Drivers Before Alleged Shooting
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Prosecutors will seek a more severe sentence for the man accused of shooting and killing a youth baseball coach on Highway 169 earlier this summer if he is convicted.
In a court filing, attorneys for the state alleged 33-year-old Jamal Smith "pointed guns at other motorists for minor reasons while driving" in the weeks and months before he allegedly fatally shot Jay Boughton in July. In fact, prosecutors said, Smith showed a gun to five other vehicles in the hours before the alleged crime.
Smith, of Chicago, is charged with second-degree murder. He was arrested in Illinois months after the shooting.
In court documents filed Wednesday, prosecutors said they will seek an upward sentencing departure for Smith based on three factors: the crime was committed in the presence of a child (Boughton's son was in the car with him when he was shot), Smith's alleged conduct "created a greater than normal danger to the safety of other people on the roadway" and the fact that, if convicted, this would be Smith's third violent crime.
Prosecutors said Smith is a "dangerous offender" and that he "always carried a gun," according to a witness.
Boughton, 56, was driving home on July 6 with his son after coaching a youth baseball game when he got into an altercation with another driver on Highway 169 in Plymouth. The driver shot him in the head, and Boughton lost control of his car, crashing into several other vehicles in a nearby apartment complex parking lot.
His 15-year-old son performed CPR on him until paramedics arrived at the scene. He was taken to North Memorial Health, where he died.
Smith also faces a charge of aiding an offender after the fact. His bail has been set at $2 million.