Victim in overnight murder identified, suspect held on $2 million bond

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) - UPDATE (1/31 at 4:30 p.m.): Minot Police identified the victim in Monday night’s fatal shooting at a northwest Minot motel as 38-year-old Timothy Smith.

Prosecutors charged 32-year-old Darrion Jackson with AA-felony murder in the shooting.

Jackson made his initial court appearance on the charge Tuesday afternoon in Minot.

The courts ordered him to be held on a $2 million cash or corporate surety bond.

Jackson will be arraigned March 16. He faces the chance of life in prison without parole if convicted.

Minot Police told Your News Leader it’s believed Jackson and Smith knew one another, and it was not a random attack.

While Minot Police have someone in custody, they’re still looking for details from the public on what led up to the shooting.

“We are looking for other witnesses and possible bystanders in the area just to get more information. Detectives are still tracking down all the leads on that,” said Capt. Dale Plessas, Minot Police Department.

Minot Police say they’re unable to name the specific location of the shooting due to Marsy’s Law.

The shooting is the first recorded homicide in the city of Minot in 2023. The city had three homicides in all of 2022.

ORIGINAL STORY (1/31 at 5 a.m.): Minot Police responded to a northwest Minot hotel at around 11:52 p.m. Monday night after a shooting was reported.

When officials arrived, they found a man who had been shot in the head and was unresponsive. He later died.

Darrion Jackson turned himself into the police a short time later and was charged with murder. He is being held at the Ward County Jail.

The name of the man who died is being withheld until the family is contacted.

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