Michael Ferguson Found Guilty For Firing Gunshots Into Crowd Near Mpls. Church, Killing 1
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 26-year-old Brooklyn Park man is now awaiting sentencing after he was found guilty for shooting into a crowd of men gathered near a Minneapolis church, killing one of them.
On Friday, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced Michael Ferguson was found guilty of second-degree murder following three days of jury trial.
The fatal shooting incident occurred in August of 2019 at 21st and Aldrich Avenues in north Minneapolis, an area where a criminal street gang, YNT, is known to gather. According to the criminal complaint, a group of about 20 men were gathered on a sidewalk near a church when Ferguson got into a verbal altercation with one of the men.
Ferguson left and got into the passenger side of a parked car on Aldrich Avenue. As the car began to move forward slightly, Ferguson began firing into the crowd. Witnesses said he fired about five to six shots. One man, 23-year-old Kyreon Watkins of Minneapolis, was shot in the head and killed. Numerous YNT gang members were also hospitalized.
Ferguson fled to Wisconsin following the shooting. He was arrested in Milwaukee on Sept. 3, 2019 and extradited to Minneapolis.
According to the criminal complaint, Ferguson initially denied being involved in the shooting, but later admitted to it when he learned of the victim, calling him his "homie." He said he fled the state when he learned someone in the crowd died.
Ferguson will be sentenced on Jan. 15. He's expected to receive more than 30 years in prison.
