Minneapolis Nudieland mass shooting: Charges filed against 2 teenagers
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Two teenagers have now been charged in connection to the Minneapolis Nudieland shooting that left one person and several others injured last summer.
Dominic James Burris, 18, of Hinckley, and Cyrell Boyd, 17, of Onamia, are facing seven felony charges in juvenile court for aiding and abetting first-degree assault, aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection to a shooting at Nudieland, a DIY concert venue in a Minneapolis backyard, that injured six people and left one person dead.
Burris was charged via a sealed warrant on April 12 and was arrested on Monday night. The charges against Burris were unsealed on Tuesday, while the charges filed against Boyd were unsealed Wednesday morning.
The mass shooting happened on Aug. 11, 2023, while a local band was finishing a concert in the backyard of a house located on the 2200 block of 16th Avenue South in Minneapolis. Charging documents said the concert was an LGBTQ+ friendly gathering and approximately 30–50 people were in attendance.
When officers responded to the scene, they found seven people who suffered from gunshot wounds. One man, identified as 35-year-old Nicholas "August" Golden, suffered a gunshot wound to his back and was pronounced dead at the scene. Four people sustained gunshot wounds to their lower extremities. Another man was struck in his torso and another person had a graze wound to the cheek, charges said.
Investigators learned two people were interacting with others at the concert shortly before the shooting, who witnesses said were not a part of the LGBTQ+ community. They described their interaction with them as "hostile" and said the pair made "insensitive comments after learning the witnesses were lesbians," charges read.
Witnesses told police they noticed both people were flashing firearms, and when one witness pointed out the gun, one of them allegedly responded, "We’re not going to use the gun or anything, but if need be, we will," the charges read.
Charges explained the pair stayed at the concert and eventually left out the front door. Shortly after, a witness claimed to see the two walking along a fence in the neighboring yard, and seconds later, they heard gunshots coming from that direction.
The pair were allegedly seen in the alleyway, and another witness told authorities he followed them and saw them meet up after the shooting.
Charges explain that investigators used witness statements, forensic evidence, and video surveillance, in addition to other work, to identify the two shooters.
Of the evidence, police said DNA from one of the alleged shooters was found on cigarette butts at the scene. Officers also recovered eight 9mm caliber casings and one 0.380 caliber casing from the scene, indicating that two firearms were used, charges claim.
Burris made his first court appearance on Tuesday. There were two victim-survivors in court. His next hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on May 1.
The state is proceeding to certify Burris as an adult, who was only 17 years old at the time of the shooting. Meanwhile, charges for Boyd were unsealed on Wednesday.
"This shooting at what should have been a joyous event, rocked our LGBTQ-plus community," explained Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty.
While Moriarty and her prosecution team accuse Burris and the second teenager of making derogatory comments about sexual orientation before the shooting, the charges do not include any hate-motivated crimes.
"What motivated them to commit a crime? We ask ourselves that frequently," said Moriarty. "Why did this happen? And sometimes there just is no explanation."