Man sentenced to 30 years for 2022 Mall of America shooting
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Nineteen-year-old Taeshawn Adams-Wright was sentenced Thursday to more than 30 years in prison for a murder at the Mall of America in 2022.
Adams-Wright pleaded guilty in March in the killing of 19-year-old Johntae Hudson. He is the first person sentenced in the shooting that shut down the mall during a holiday shopping rush.
On the evening of Dec. 23, 2022, a fight broke out at Nordstrom’s in the mall. Prosecutors said Adams-Wright and others chased Hudson through the store. Two of them fired handguns, shooting Hudson multiple times before fleeing.
Hudson was pronounced dead at the scene. Police recovered his handgun, which they said he fired, too.
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A woman who was shopping in the store was grazed and wounded in the shooting. The mall went on lockdown for about an hour.
Hudson's family filled the courtroom for this morning’s sentencing. His mother, Lynn Hudson, spoke through tears. She’s looking for justice for her son.
“My son was part of the community,” Hudson said. “He was well loved. He had so many people that were drawn to him because of who he was.”
Adams-Wright had asked for a more lenient sentence, partly due to his age. He had only recently turned 18 when he shot Hudson.
Judge Paul Scoggin said he took Adams-Wright's age into account in the sentencing but did not think a more lenient sentence was appropriate given the crime.
“You put a whole lot of other people in harm’s way, in addition to the guy that you killed, one of whom was struck by a bullet,” Scoggin said, addressing Adams-Wright. “And there were children and loads of folks that deserve to be nowhere close to any of this.”
Adams-Wright spoke briefly at the hearing.
“I want to apologize for bringing pain and suffering to the victim’s family,” Adams-Wright said. “I am truly apologetic for my actions.”
One other person is facing criminal proceedings in adult court. Lavon Longstreet, now 19, was just shy of his 18th birthday when the shooting occurred. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty filed a motion to have him certified as an adult. He faces charges of second-degree murder and assault.
Longstreet is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing Friday, with a jury trial beginning in early June.
Two other 17-year-olds have been charged with rioting for their alleged roles in the shooting. Their cases are in juvenile court.
The shooting was one of three firearm incidents at the mall within a year. A shooting on New Year’s Eve in 2021 left two people injured. Five people were charged in an August 2022 shooting; no one was injured.
Hudson’s mother said the 30-year sentence for Adams-Wright offers some hope.
“I feel like I can breathe again,” she said. “We are so relieved that it went our way. We think that 30 years is not enough, but it’s something.”