On the night of October 30, 2020, in Rochester, Minnesota, 18-year-old Black/African American male Mikayal Gordon was fatally shot in a hallway at the Village of Essex apartment complex. The incident, which also left a 20-year-old man critically injured, followed a confrontation at a party. The evening took a tragic turn when an argument escalated to gunfire, ending one young life and forever altering another.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to a suspect: Ty Jhuan
Anderson. A witness to the shooting identified Anderson as the person who opened fire after the argument. Further evidence emerged from Snapchat videos taken at the party, which showed Anderson drinking heavily and brandishing a pistol that appeared identical to the one investigators later found outside the apartment building. Shortly after the shooting, police stopped a vehicle Anderson was in, and an officer described him as "belligerent and appeared to be intoxicated."
Following the identification of Anderson as the primary suspect, a warrant was issued for his arrest in November 2020. Anderson remained a fugitive for several months until he was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in New Hope in March 2021. He was then transferred to the Olmsted County Jail to face charges for the death of Mikayal Gordon and the attempted murder of the second victim. Anderson was formally charged with second-degree intentional murder, second-degree attempted murder, and illegal possession of a firearm.
Initially, Anderson pleaded not guilty to the charges. His bail was set at $2 million, though it was later reduced. As the case proceeded toward a trial, a plea agreement was reached. In April 2023, then 23-year-old Ty Jhuan Anderson pleaded guilty to second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault, and illegal possession of a firearm. This plea agreement allowed him to avoid a trial for the more severe initial charges. As a result of the agreement, he was scheduled for sentencing, facing a proposed prison term for his role in the fatal shooting.
