Suspect in Rochester Gunfight Acquitted of Three of Four Charges

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Olmsted County Judge has convicted a Rochester man of an illegal weapons charge stemming from a gunfight with another man but has acquitted him of three other felony charges.

The mixed verdict involves 31-year-old Kacey Kamara, who along with 38-year-old Larry Dion Jackson, was arrested following a shooting in Rochester's Kutzky Park neighborhood on the evening of June 3, 2022. Kamara waived his right to a jury trial and his case was heard during a court trial in mid-December.

According to court documents, one of the witnesses in the case was a member of the Olmsted County Board. The documents say Commissioner Laurel Podulke-Smith lives in the neighborhood and saw Kamara holding a gun and hanging out off the passenger door of a red pickup truck as it was speeding away from the crime scene.

The trial judge issued her verdict on Tuesday and found Kamara guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and/or ammunition by a felon convicted of a crime of violence. Kamara was convicted of a felony count of reckless discharge of a firearm for shooting himself in the foot in August 2021 and was sentenced to one year in prison.

The judge also found Kamara not guilty of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, drive-by shooting toward a person, and first-degree witness tampering.

According to the criminal complaint in the case, Rochester police responded to the 1000 block of West Center Street after receiving numerous reports of gunfire. They collected eleven 9 mm spent shell casings from the front yard of a residence and used video recordings from security systems and mobile devices to piece together what had occurred.

The court document says Kamara allegedly fired a shot in the direction of Jackson after the other man opened fire on a vehicle occupied by Kamara and several other people. The charges alleged the exchange of gunfire occurred after Jackson punched Kamara's brother in the face during an earlier altercation. Kamara was also accused of threatening one of the occupants after the man suggested going to the police.

Jackson was also charged with second-degree assault and illegal possession of a firearm in connection with the incident. He is currently scheduled to stand trial in March.

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