The Minnesota Court of Appeals has overturned the conviction of a man who received a 27-year sentence last year for a fatal shooting outside the Elks Club in north Minneapolis during a memorial vigil.

Deandre D. Turner, 41, was sentenced on Aug. 31, 2023, in Hennepin County District Court after a jury convicted him of second-degree intentional murder in connection with the killing of Andrew T. McGinley on June 30, 2021.

In its ruling last week, the Court of Appeals said Turner was denied a fair trial “due to evidentiary errors and multiple instances of prosecutorial misconduct.”

Specifically, the ruling pointed out, surveillance video that captured the shooting “is extremely poor; it was taken from an old video surveillance system. It is grainy, blurry and choppy. As a result, the shooter is identifiable mainly by the color of his clothing. … The video does not clearly show the shooter’s face.”

The ruling also said a witness who was questioned by police “did not offer Turner’s name … during this interview. Instead, at the sergeant’s suggestion, [he] agreed that Turner shot the victim.”

Police were unable to locate any other witnesses who said they saw the shot that killed McGinley, the ruling continued.

As for the misconduct of prosecutors during the trial, the appellate court cited the following: referring during closing arguments to witnesses who did not testify and insinuating to the jurors without evidence that Turner was in a gang and was under the influence of drugs at the gathering.

Department of Corrections records show Turner, who remains in custody, has more than 15 years yet to serve in prison, followed by supervised release until May 2049.

The city’s project focuses on about eight blocks of road in an area north of Broadway Street and east of Monroe Street, where many of the roads were last rebuilt more than 100 years ago.

Long ago, it was an area where lightbulbs, heating equipment, mattresses and other items were manufactured. Its old warehouses have since become occupied by artists, who moved in after being displaced by development in the North Loop, and a smattering of breweries, eateries and other public spaces.

Anna Becker, the executive director of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, said this artist enclave is one of the few in the U.S. to be zoned industrial and not anchored by a big museum or gallery.

“It’s very rare,” she said.

Quincy Street is perhaps the best-known stretch in the area and is an example of what makes it a challenge to redevelop. A small collection of spots for drinks and food, along with a gym, runs next to artist workspaces, which field supply deliveries on a regular basis.

That means trucks are often in the area and foot traffic is not heavy, residents said. There are no sidewalks for much of the block, and vehicles are forced to drive slow because the road is narrow, uneven and patchy with brick.

He said there is no incentive for bipartisanship anymore in Washington, arguing that his friendship with Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson, of South Dakota, was used against him in a primary race this year.

He accused both parties of colluding to stifle any third-party competition, characterizing them as private corporations that have formed a duopoly and do not answer to voters.

Without any third party, he said, it’s impossible for anyone to climb the ranks in either party without making concessions to their values and principles. They must either be an ideological match or enact a “hostile takeover” to reach a leadership position.

To improve things, Phillips encouraged voters to turn out for primary elections, support ranked-choice voting and help end gerrymandering.

“If we don’t have competition, I can guarantee you this will get worse, not better,” he said.

For his last question of the evening, Phillips sifted through a container of handwritten questions from the audience to find a difficult one. He picked a question about the Israel-Hamas war.