Rift over SUV boxed in at Minneapolis gas pump ends with teen fatally shot in head

A gunman answered a rock-thrower with bullets at a south Minneapolis gas station and shot a teenager to death, according to charges filed Thursday.

Rodney D. Jackson, 27, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting late Tuesday morning at the Speedway at the corner of E. 25th Street and Bloomington Avenue S.

He was arrested hours later at a suburban movie theater and remains jailed ahead of a court appearance Friday.

Authorities have yet to disclose whether Jackson had a state-issued permit allowing him to carry a firearm in public.

The person who was shot was identified by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office late Thursday afternoon as Mohamed A. Abdi, 18, of Bloomington.

According to the criminal complaint:

Jackson and his girlfriend pulled up to a pump at the former SuperAmerica and went into the store.

When they came out, Jackson saw that his SUV was blocked by two other vehicles.

Jackson and his girlfriend began yelling at the teen in the vehicle in front, and she allegedly threw a jar of Vaseline at Abdi. Once the vehicle behind left, Jackson was able to move, and he parked across the street.

A witness, backed by surveillance video, told authorities that the teen whose car had been in front of Jackson's vehicle started throwing rocks at Jackson's SUV.

Jackson allegedly then held a gun out of the window and shot Abdi once in the head.

Police said the alleged shooter and Abdi were not previously acquainted.

Law enforcement caught up with Jackson that day at a Roseville movie theater. Officers said they seized a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun from him.

Jackson said he didn't call police right away because he suspected he was being followed. He said he went to north Minneapolis for food before going to the theater.

Court records in Minnesota show no convictions for serious crimes. He's been convicted once of misdemeanor disorderly conduct along with many convictions for various traffic and parking offenses.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482