A 24-year-old Broward County man has been sentenced to nearly three decades in federal prison for his role in kidnapping a chauffeur at gunpoint after he allegedly shot a woman, prosecutors say.
Bakari Jahiem Dixson, of West Park, was sentenced earlier this year to 319 months, or 26-and-a-half years, in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Tuesday.
Shortly before 7:20 a.m. Aug. 3, 2025, someone called 911 to report hearing gunshots at an address in Fort Lauderdale that is redacted in court records. When officers arrived, they found a woman who had been shot in the chest multiple times, according to a probable cause affidavit for Dixson’s arrest filed in Broward County circuit court.
A witness told police the shooting happened outside of an Airbnb, where the woman and Dixson had both attended a birthday party, according to the affidavit. At some point, Dixson approached someone whose name is redacted in the affidavit and asked if he could get a ride home, but the person who Dixson asked for the ride told him no multiple times.
The witness told police that as he or she was leaving the party, Dixson followed them into the victim’s car and demanded she drive him home, the affidavit said. After he was told no, he lifted up his shirt and flashed a black gun that was tucked in his waistband.
The woman then got out of her car, and Dixson followed and tried to slap her, the affidavit said. At that point, someone sprayed Dixson with pepper spray, and he then allegedly shot the woman three times and drove off in a separate car.
The woman who had been shot was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, the affidavit said.
Within 20 minutes of the shooting, Wilton Manors Police were called by the owner of a transportation service who said he was a hired driver for Dixson and witnessed the shooting, according to the affidavit.
The chauffeur met with Fort Lauderdale Police detectives and in a sworn statement said he first picked up Dixson and five others about 11:45 p.m. Aug. 2 from an address that is redacted in the court document. The driver then took Dixson and the group to another address about 4 a.m. Aug. 3, according to the affidavit.
“When it was time to leave” that address, the driver witnessed the moment Dixson was sprayed with pepper spray and Dixson shoot the woman as the driver stood outside of his car, the affidavit said. The driver told police that once Dixson got inside of his car, he held the gun on his center console and demanded he drive away from the scene or “else he would shoot him.”
The driver, in fear for his life, followed Dixson’s orders and drove from Fort Lauderdale to West Park before dropping the group off at Dixson’s home, federal prosecutors said in the news release.
Dixson was charged by a federal indictment in November 2025 with one count of kidnapping, one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. A federal jury found him guilty of all counts at trial earlier this year.
The case in Broward County circuit court stemming from the shooting remains pending. He is charged with first-degree attempted murder, armed kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The next court hearing is scheduled for September.
In 2023, Dixson was one of two men arrested in connection with a shooting on Interstate 95 in Pompano Beach that injured two people.