Video captures Mall of America shooting, gunman to be sentenced
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - One of two gunmen involved in a deadly Christmastime shooting inside the Mall of America will be sentenced to prison Thursday morning.
Taeshawn Adams-Wright will appear in Hennepin County District Court nearly a year-and-a-half after 19-year-old Johntae Hudson was shot and killed inside the Nordstrom department store.
FOX 9 recently obtained surveillance video from the violent confrontation as well as the case file investigators used to track down everyone involved. That video has not been seen publicly before. It was recorded on security cameras inside the Nordstrom men’s department where an escalating feud between several armed young men came to an end December 23, 2022 – two days before Christmas.
The video captures Hudson getting tackled onto a table and clothing display rack. He attempts to scurry away when Adams-Wright and a second gunman stand over him and open fire.
In court filings, prosecutors write Hudson was "stalked and executed." He was shot eight times in the back.
"You know, emotions are not a word for what we are feeling," Lynn Hudson, Johntae’s mom told FOX 9 outside a prior court hearing. "We are heartbroken. We are devastated. We want them to pay for what they have done."
In addition to Hudson’s death, a woman shopping nearby with her teen daughter was grazed by a flying bullet when they attempted to take cover.
District Court Judge Paul Scoggin will review portions of the videos before sentencing Adams-Wright. The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and assault charges. Prosecutors are asking for a total of 33.5 years in prison.
In a letter to Judge Scoggin, lead prosecutor on the case, Joshua Larson writes, "The State asks that you impose a sentence which is just and commensurate with the gravity of Defendant’s conduct; the loss caused by his actions; and the trauma he has inflicted on the direct victims and the community."
"We will never accept anything," Hudson’s mom previously told FOX 9 at a September, 2023 hearing. "Our son is dead. You cannot bring our son back no matter how much time they give to them. It is not going to bring him back."
The case against the second gunman, Lavon Longstreet continues to work its way through the system. He has an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Friday. A trial for Longstreet could begin as soon as next week.