MN Supreme Court to Review Rochester Felon’s Firearm Conviction

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to take up the case of a Rochester man who was sent to prison last year for his conviction connected to a gunfight a few years ago.

Thirty-three-year-old Kacey Kamara was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm and/or ammunition by a felon convicted of a crime of violence. The verdict was handed down by an Olmsted County judge following a trial in December 2023 that resulted in his acquittal on second-degree assault, drive-by shooting toward a person, and first-degree witness tampering charges.

READ MORE: Suspect in Rochester Gunfight Acquitted of Three of Four Charges

Shooting Stemmed from 2022 Confrontation on West Center Street

According to court records, Kamara was accused of exchanging gunfire with another man following a confrontation in the 1000 block of West Center Street in June 2022. The criminal complaint says Rochester police responded to numerous reports of gunfire and collected eleven 9mm shell casings from the front yard of a residence. Investigators also used video recordings from security systems and mobile devices to piece together what had occurred.

READ MORE: Two Men Charged With Exchanging Gunfire in Rochester Neighborhood

Court documents say Kamara was accused of firing a shot in the direction of 38-year-old Larry Dion Jackson after Jackson allegedly opened fire on a vehicle occupied by Kamara and several other people. Jackson was charged with second-degree assault and illegal possession of a firearm. His criminal case is still pending.

Following his conviction, Kamara was given a five-year prison sentence.

High Court to Consider Sufficiency of Circumstantial Evidence

The Minnesota Court of Appeals, in a ruling issued in July, upheld Kamara’s sentence. The Minnesota Supreme Court has now agreed to review that decision and consider Kamara’s argument that the circumstantial evidence presented at his trial was insufficient to prove that he possessed a firearm and ammunition found during a search of an apartment he shared with his fiancée and their children.