Man Gets Max Sentence In Killing Of Minneapolis High School Sophomore

MINNEAPOLIS — A 30-year-old man was sentenced to more than 38 years in prison in the murder of Minneapolis school student Deshaun Hill, Jr., Hennepin County Attorney Mary F. Moriarty announced Tuesday.

Hennepin County Judge Julie Allyn sentenced Cody L. Fohrenkam to 463 months in prison after he was convicted in the Feb. 9, 2022 killing of Hill. Fohrenkam and Hill did not know each other, and the shooting was apparently random.

Hill was 15 at the time and attending North High School. He was an honor roll student and starting quarterback.

"This sentence brings legal closure to a tragic and senseless act of gun violence that devastated those who knew and loved Deshaun and everyone in the North High School community and beyond," Moriarty said in a statement.

"I am grateful to the community members, law enforcement, and our team in the County Attorney’s office who played a role in delivering justice for Deshaun and his family. We must address the issues that make violence a viable decision for far too many people. We will continue to work with law enforcement to aggressively prosecute violence and hold those responsible accountable."

On Feb. 9, 2022, Minneapolis police were dispatched to Golden Valley Road and Penn Avenue North on a report of a shooting.

Police found Hill unresponsive, and medics immediately transported him to North Memorial Medical Center, where he died.

Video surveillance from the scene showed Fohrenkam walking on the sidewalk and possibly brushing shoulders with Hill, who was walking in the other direction, according to authorities. Video does not capture the shooting, but shows Fohrenkam fleeing the scene, investigators said.

Witnesses told police that Fohrenkam matched the description of the shooter, according to the criminal complaint.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.