MINNEAPOLIS (trfnews.i234.me) – A Monticello man, 29-year-old Marquise Trevone Hammonds-Ford, has been sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for his involvement in a deadly gunfight that resulted in the tragic death of off-duty firefighter Joseph C. Johns. Hammonds-Ford received his sentence on Wednesday, October 9, after pleading guilty to prohibited possession of a firearm.
While Hammonds-Ford did not fire the fatal shot, prosecutors argued that his reckless act of firing a gun into the air in a crowded area triggered the violence that led to Johns’ death. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty emphasized that the sentence was necessary to hold Hammonds-Ford accountable for his role in the shootout.
The gunfight occurred outside Whiskey Junction in Minneapolis on May 5, when Johns, a motorcycle enthusiast, was out with friends. He was caught in the crossfire while helping to direct people away from the chaos. Investigators found 63 discharged cartridge casings from at least seven firearms at the scene, with 16 of them coming from Hammonds-Ford’s automatic 9mm pistol. Hammonds-Ford will serve 52 months of his sentence in prison, with the remainder on supervised release.