On October 30, 2020, in Rochester, Minnesota, 18-year-old Black/African American male Mikayal Gordon was fatally shot in a hallway at the Village of Essex apartment complex. The shooting followed a confrontation at a party that also left a 20-year-old man critically injured after gunfire broke out.

Investigators identified Ty Jhuan Anderson as the person who opened fire; a witness pointed to him, and Snapchat videos from the party showed someone matching Anderson’s presence drinking heavily and brandishing a pistol resembling the firearm later recovered outside the building. Police stopped a vehicle Anderson was in shortly after the shooting and described him as belligerent and appearing intoxicated. A warrant for his arrest was issued in November 2020, and he was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in New Hope in March 2021 and transferred to Olmsted County Jail to face charges.

Anderson was charged with second-degree intentional murder, second-degree attempted murder, and illegal possession of a firearm. He initially pleaded not guilty and had bail set at $2 million, later reduced. In April 2023 Anderson, then 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault, and illegal possession of a firearm, and was scheduled for sentencing under a plea agreement that avoided trial on the original charges.

If anyone at the Village of Essex party or nearby that night has information that wasn’t shared with investigators, please come forward.