Rodney Jackson Guilty Of 2nd-Degree Murder In 2018 Mpls Gas Station Shooting
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Rodney Donta Jackson, 28, has been found guilty of murder in a fatal south Minneapolis shooting that occurred last November. He was acquitted of a first-degree premeditated murder charge, which would have resulted in life in prison.
Mohamed Ali Abdi, an 18-year-old from Bloomington, died of a gunshot wound to the head in the shooting. The shooting occurred at the parking lot of the Speedway store on the 2400 block of Bloomington Avenue South. Jackson and others involved fled the scene.
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The county said Jackson and his girlfriend pulled up to a pump on Nov. 6, 2018 when Jackson's Chevrolet SUV was trapped between two vehicles. When the car behind the SUV moved, Jackson drove to a spot across the street as his girlfriend threw items at his SUV.
Jackson then fired a single shot from his vehicle, killing Abdi.
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Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he was pleased with the jury's verdict and will argue "strongly" for a long sentence.
"Mr. Jackson put up a bogus self-defense justification and the jury saw through that," Freeman said.
Jackson's trial, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, lasted two weeks with jury deliberations lasting eight hours. Jackson will be sentenced Dec. 13.
