Jody Tyrone Fry, a 29-year-old Black / African American man, was fatally shot on the evening of June 18, 2017, while leaving a Father's Day gathering at his aunt's home in Robbinsdale, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fry, who was originally from Chicago, had been splitting his time between Chicago and the Twin Cities and was reportedly making positive changes in his life.
He was a father to a young son and was actively seeking employment in the Minneapolis area with the hope of providing a safer environment for his child, away from the violence in their Chicago neighborhood.
On the night of the incident, just before midnight, as Fry sat in the driver's seat of a vehicle preparing to leave the family celebration on the 5600 block of 42nd Avenue N., he was ambushed. A man approached the car and fired multiple shots, striking Fry several times in the head, face, and neck. When police arrived at the scene, they found him deceased inside the vehicle, which had several shattered windows. The Hennepin County medical examiner later confirmed that he died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the homicide led police to identify 32-year-old Zittie Taylor as the primary suspect. It was determined that Taylor had been dating a woman who was present at the Father's Day gathering. According to reports, Taylor had a history of stalking her and displayed jealousy when she interacted with other men. A witness reported hearing Taylor speaking with Fry before he retrieved a gun from his own vehicle, walked over to Fry's car, and opened fire. Taylor then fled the scene.
Zittie Taylor was later apprehended and charged with second-degree murder. In a turn of events during his trial in February 2019, as prosecutors were midway through presenting their case, Taylor chose to halt the proceedings and plead guilty to the charge. This plea was part of an agreement to avoid a potential life sentence without parole had he been convicted of the initial first-degree murder charge. The plea deal resulted in a sentence of 32 and a half years in prison. This was the second time Taylor had pleaded guilty in connection to the murder, having previously withdrawn a guilty plea over a sentencing dispute. Throughout the legal process, Taylor refused to provide a motive for the shooting.
