One of two accused gunmen pleads guilty to fatal MOA shooting

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Bloomington Police outside the Nordstrom department store at the Mall of America on Friday night after a shooting left a teenage dead. (FOX 9)

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the fatal Mall of America shooting that happened inside the Nordstrom store two days before Christmas in 2022.

TaeShawn Adams-Wright, 19, from Daytona Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree assault on Thursday for the shooting that took the life of 19-year-old Johntae Hudson. He is one of the two people believed to have shot Hudson while he was on the ground after being tackled.

The other accused shooter, Lavon Longstreet, is set to go to trial for second-degree murder and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon on the morning of April 15 after pleading not guilty to both charges.

Court documents show Adams-Wright pleaded guilty without any deal to drop other charges and that the prosecution is seeking the statutory maximum sentencing, which is set for May 30.

The maximum sentence for second-degree murder in Minnesota is 40 years.

The shooting happened when two groups started fighting around 7:50 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2022.

Responding officers then found Hudson on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds, where he died despite life-saving efforts.

The mall went into lockdown after the shooting but reopened the next day, with the Nordstrom store remaining closed.

Others involved in the fight, including minor teens, were charged with second-degree riot, aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree assault.