Rochester Drive-By Shooting Leads to Attempted Murder Conviction

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Olmsted County jury has returned a guilty verdict in an attempted murder trial stemming from a drive-by shooting that occurred in Rochester three years ago.

Thirty-five-year-old Exavier Porter went on trial this week on charges of first-degree attempted murder and drive-by shooting toward an occupied vehicle or building. He was accused of opening fire on another vehicle in a northwest Rochester neighborhood on the afternoon of October 29, 2022.

According to the criminal complaint, Rochester police responded to reports of a shooting in the 2400 block of 18½ Avenue Northwest. The reports indicated that an occupant of a blue vehicle had shot at a white vehicle and then sped away.

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2022 Shooting Targeted Victim Visiting Child in Rochester

The responding officers located the victim of the shooting, who told them he had driven to Rochester from his home in the Twin Cities to visit his child and had arranged to meet with the child’s mother at that location. After he arrived, the victim said the child’s mother parked her car near his vehicle, and a man—later identified as Porter—stepped out of her vehicle and began shooting at him.

Police Found Bullet Holes, Shell Casings at the Scene

The court document says officers found two bullet holes in the SUV, which also had two flat tires. Another bullet struck an unoccupied car parked along the same street. Investigators also found 10 spent shell casings at the scene of the shooting.

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The criminal complaint says police later located Porter and the child’s mother at a nearby apartment complex and took them into custody. The woman told investigators she was aware that Porter had a gun in his possession but denied knowing a shooting was going to occur.

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The Trial in the 3 Year Old Case Was Held This Week

After hearing evidence in the case, the jury in Porter’s trial reached a verdict late Thursday afternoon and found the Fort Worth, Texas man guilty of the attempted murder and drive-by shooting charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced in January and remains in custody without bond.

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