On a late morning in June of 2022, the life of Taleen Rochelle Tanna, a 42-year-old Caucasian woman, was tragically cut short in north Minneapolis. On June 14th, at approximately 10 a.m., Tanna was seated inside a recreational vehicle parked on the 1300 block of Girard Avenue North. She was with her boyfriend, Marvin McCowen, when a white Chevrolet Impala with noticeable rear-end damage pulled up alongside them.
Multiple gunshots suddenly rang out from the passenger side of the Impala,
shattering the quiet of the residential street. Tanna was struck by gunfire and sustained fatal wounds to her head and neck. Despite attempts to save her, she was pronounced dead at the scene. McCowen, who was in the driver's seat of the RV, was not injured. The white car sped away immediately after the shooting, leaving a scene of violence and confusion behind.
The investigation into Tanna's death quickly focused on a man named Laundelle Jackson. Tanna's boyfriend identified Jackson as the shooter, telling police that the two men had been involved in a violent altercation just a week prior. During that earlier dispute, McCowen had been stabbed in the chest, and Jackson had suffered facial injuries. Witnesses at the scene of the shooting also confirmed seeing a white Impala flee after they heard the gunshots. Police located a vehicle matching the description near a residence where Jackson was reported to be living.
Laundelle Jackson, a 35-year-old with a long criminal history, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. When questioned by police, Jackson admitted he was in the car at the time of the shooting but claimed another individual in the vehicle was the one who fired the shots. Despite his initial denial, he later pleaded guilty. In February 2023, Jackson was sentenced to 30 and a half years in prison for the murder of Taleen Rochelle Tanna.
