Rodney Jackson sentenced to 280 months for fatal shooting

Rodney Jackson was sentenced to 280 months in prison for the fatal shooting of a man at a South Minneapolis gas station in Nov. 2018, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday. Prosecutors were seeking 360 months.

On Nov. 1, 2019, a Hennepin County jury found Jackson, 28, guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 18-year-old Mohamed Abdi.

According to the criminal complaint, on Nov. 6, 2018, Jackson and his girlfriend, Derionna Leake, pulled up to a pump at a gas station in the 2400 Block of Bloomington Avenue. When the couple returned from the convenience store, Jackson’s Chevrolet sports utility vehicle was trapped between two vehicles.

Abdi’s vehicle was in front and Jackson and Leake began yelling at him. Leake also threw a jar in Abdi’s direction. When the car behind them moved, Jackson drove off but parked across the street. Leake continued throwing more items at Abdi’s vehicle and he responded by throwing stones towards Jackson’s SUV. Jackson held a gun out of the window, lined up his shot and fired once as Abdi ran away. The shot struck him in the back of the head, killing Abdi.