PHOENIX— Jason Lindsey (D.O.B. 1-20-1997) was found guilty today by a jury on the charges of 1st Degree Murder, Drive By Shooting and three counts of Aggravated Assault all related to him firing a gun from the passenger side window at another car killing 16-year-old Niani Rayshawn Allen.
“Although witnesses and many directly involved in the incident were uncooperative, prosecutors refused to accept anything less than justice for the victim in this case who had her life cut short by the dangerous and deadly actions of the defendant,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery.
On February 20, 2015 an issue arose between several people attending a high school basketball game and eventually led to four people inside of a small sedan being followed by an SUV from the school parking lot. A short time later near 67th Avenue and Broadway Road, witnesses saw the defendant shoot at the sedan from the passenger side window of the SUV. The driver of the sedan drove to a nearby store to seek help while the SUV was seen driving away.
Allen was the only person in the sedan hit by the bullets. She was taken to a local children’s hospital where she later died from her injuries. Police were able to track the SUV to an apartment complex near 7th Avenue and Alta Vista Road where they saw a passenger fitting the defendant’s description get out and start to run away. While chasing the suspect, officers found a discarded gun that ultimately proved to match the weapon used in the shooting and had the defendant’s fingerprints on it.
When interviewed by investigators, the defendant admitted to shooting at the sedan but denied that he was trying to hit the car or hurt anyone inside.