Former Rochester Man Gets 8 Years for Shooting, Drug Crimes

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Convictions connected to a drive-by shooting and a separate narcotics investigation in Rochester have led to an eight-year prison sentence for a former Rochester man.

95 Month Prison Sentence

32-year-old Keywan Devonta Johnson, who now has a Kasson address, entered guilty pleas in March to a charge of illegal possession of a firearm for the shooting and two counts of second-degree drug sales in the drug case. He originally also faced felony counts of drive-by shooting, second-degree assault, reckless discharge of a firearm, and a misdemeanor count of fleeing police.

READ MORE: Rochester Man Accused of Shooting at Minivan Occupied by Family Pleads Guilty.

Family Describes Terrifying Gunfire Incident

According to the criminal complaint, Johnson was accused of firing at a minivan occupied by five people, including a pregnant woman and three young children. The shooting was reported around 8 a.m. in the 4500 block of 22nd Avenue Northwest on July 29, 2025.

The court document says officers responding to reports of a shooting that morning located two .40-caliber handgun shell casings at the scene. They also spoke with the driver of the minivan, who indicated that the driver of a gold SUV locked eyes with him while he was driving on 22nd Avenue Northwest, then pulled out a handgun and opened fire on his family.

Prior Altercation Led to Shooting Investigation

The criminal complaint also indicates that the brother of the minivan driver had been involved in an altercation with the SUV driver the previous evening. The brother told officers he had been physically assaulted and chased by a man driving a gold-colored Chevy Equinox.

ALSO SEE: Charges Filed in Rochester Restaurant Shooting Incident

The court document says the brother later used his brother's minivan to locate the Equinox and then shot at and damaged the vehicle with a CO₂-powered pellet gun. The complaint states Rochester police responded to a report of gunfire in the same area the previous evening and found large pellets and an SUV with damage to a taillight.

Police Tracked Suspect After Rochester Shooting

After identifying Johnson as the suspected shooter, the criminal complaint says officers located him in northwest Rochester, but he jumped over a chain-link fence and "cut in and out of residential buildings" before falling and being apprehended.

Johnson's drug convictions stem from two controlled drug buys last year during which he sold fentanyl to a police informant.

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Court Records Detail Johnson's Criminal History

Court records indicate Johnson previously spent three years in prison for a robbery conviction in 2011 and six years behind bars after being convicted as an armed habitual criminal in Illinois in 2015.