Charges: Man shot driver who boxed him in at Minneapolis gas station

Rodney Jackson, 27, is charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting another man at a gas station in south Minneapolis on Tuesday, Nov. 6. 

A 27-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of another man at a gas station in south Minneapolis Tuesday afternoon.

According to the charges, the suspect, Rodney Jackson was with his girlfriend at the Speedway on the 2400 block of Bloomington Avenue South. From surveillance video and witness statements, police learned the two had parked their SUV at a gas pump and went inside the store. 

When the pair returned to their SUV, they were boxed in. The vehicle in front of them belonged to the victim, whose name has not been released. 

Jackson, his girlfriend and the victim began to argue. Jackson’s girlfriend threw a Vaseline container at the victim, while Jackson was yelling at her to get back into the car. 

Jackson was able to maneuver his SUV out of the parking lot and park across the street. Surveillance video shows his girlfriend get out of the vehicle and the victim throwing rocks at her and Jackson. A witness told police they also saw him throwing rocks. 

Surveillance footage shows Jackson holding a handgun out the driver’s side window and firing one shot at the victim, shooting him in the head. Jackson’s girlfriend then got back into the SUV and the two of them drove away. 

Police were called to the scene shortly before 1 p.m. The victim was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died later that evening. 

Police located Jackson and his girlfriend at a movie theater in Roseville last that night. Jackson had a .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun on his person. He later admitted to shooting the victim with the gun. 

Thursday, the Medical Examiner identified the victim as Mohamed Abdi. The report said Abdi died of a gunshot wound to the head.