A 27-year-old man has been convicted of taking up a sniper's position in a south Minneapolis apartment building and killing a fleeing man with a shot in the back.

DaQuan Bradley, of Brooklyn Park, was found guilty Tuesday by a Hennepin County District judge of second-degree murder in the death of Mario McGee, 27, following a weeklong trial.

Given his criminal history, prosecutors said they will argue for the high end of what sentencing guidelines suggest, which is a term ranging from 31 to 35 years.

On June 30, McGee arrived at his former girlfriend's apartment building near E. 24th Street and Oakland Avenue S. and got into a fight with Bradley and another man in the hall, according to authorities.

McGee, of Minneapolis, left the building out a back door, and Bradley shot him from the woman's apartment window, the prosecution contended. A 9-millimeter shell was found in the grass below the window.

"The amount of time that elapsed between when Mr. Bradley ejected Mario McGee from the apartment until he fired the fatal shot we believe was ample for Mr. Bradley to form the premeditated thought required for a first-degree murder conviction and life in prison," County Attorney Mike Freeman said following Judge Tanya Bransford's verdict. "Nonetheless, we will argue forcefully that with this crime, combined with his previous crimes, that society is only safe if Mr. Bradley is behind bars for the longest possible time."

Bradley has several previous convictions that barred him from possessing a firearm.

He was arrested at his home and had a 9-millimeter handgun tucked in his waistband.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482