Man agrees to 5-year sentence for fatally shooting woman in pickup in Brooklyn Center

A jury trial scheduled for Monday has been canceled for a man who decided to plead guilty to fatally shooting a woman in a pickup truck last year in Brooklyn Center.

Julius M. Smith, 24, of Brooklyn Center, agreed to plead guilty in Hennepin County District Court to second-degree manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of Gabrielle A. Johnson, 23, of Duluth, on Nov. 11 near the intersection of N. 56th and Girard avenues.

Prosecutors and Smith agreed to a five-year term. With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Smith will serve nearly 3 ¹⁄₃ years in prison and the balance on supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for March 21.

Smith's criminal history in Minnesota includes convictions for domestic assault, domestic abuse and theft.

Police arrived and found the pickup, which had a bullet hole in the front windshield. Johnson was being treated by paramedics for a gunshot wound to the back of the head, according to the criminal complaint. She did not survive.

Witnesses said Smith was sitting behind Johnson in the pickup. Two other people in the vehicle said Smith shot the woman, and they "generally described the shooting as an accident," the complaint said.