Teenager Sentenced to Over a Decade in Prison for Fatal Shooting of Zaria McKeever

(KNSI) – The teenager who shot and killed Zaria McKeever has been sentenced to over a decade in prison.

On November 8th, 2022, then 15-year-old Foday Kamara broke into McKeever’s boyfriend’s Brooklyn Park apartment at the behest of a jealous ex named Erick Haynes. Kamara was accompanied by his brother John. They attacked McKeever, and Kamara fired the fatal shot at point blank range while she was lying on the ground. He pled guilty to second degree intentional murder.

The now 17-year-old Foday Kamara will be sent to a juvenile facility in Red Wing until he turns 18 and then transferred to an adult prison. The 11 year sentence was a downward departure from guidelines.

The case was pulled from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office after prosecutor Mary Moriarty pushed a plea agreement that involved no jail time, triggering a firestorm of controversy and outrage from McKeever’s family. Moriarty contended teenagers’ brains are not fully developed to control impulsive actions. The judge rejected that plea agreement and the case was taken over by Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Kamara’s brother was sentenced to two years in a juvenile detention facility. Haynes was sentenced to life. Two other adults were also charged with helping Haynes and the Kamaras after the fact.

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