Nudieland mass shooting: Decision pending on whether to try teen suspects as adults
Both teen suspects in the fatal mass shooting last summer at Nudieland, a home and space for punk shows in Minneapolis, appeared in juvenile court this week as part of proceedings determining whether to move their cases to adult court. Recommendations will be shared in June.
Dominic Burris, who is 18, and another teen are accused of opening fire on a gathered crowd, injuring six people and killing 35-year-old August Golden. They are charged with several felonies for aiding and abetting murder and assault with a firearm.
MPR News is not naming the second suspect because he is a minor and has not yet been certified to stand trial as an adult.
The unnamed boy, who is 17 and from Onamia, had a neutral expression as he took in the judge’s words on Tuesday, a public defender seated between him and his mother. A group of women and children sat along the back gallery in support; among them was one infant. The teen offered a small wave their way as deputies escorted him back to the juvenile detention center.
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Public defender Dean Lambrecht told the judge the hearing was the teen’s first time seeing his child, who was reportedly born last week after the teen was taken into custody.
Burris, who is from Hinckley, appeared in juvenile court on Wednesday morning. He had requested a Hennepin County volunteer chaplain attend to help support his family in attendance: his parents, young brother and girlfriend. As Burris left the court, he offered a quick “I love you!” which was returned with “I love you more.”
Some of the victims of the Nudieland shooting and their families attended the hearings remotely, but did not speak. Family of each suspect declined to comment to MPR News.
Last week, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office filed motions to begin certification processes to determine whether the suspects should be tried as adults. The process calls for certification studies, which are deep dives into the suspects’ lives.
Over the next month, court-approved probation officers and psychologists will compile reports on each teen, looking at any past offenses, mental health issues, family support structures and other relevant histories, assistant county attorney Nicholas Kimball explained.
At certification hearings in June, they will present their studies and offer recommendations to the courts. Those reports will be confidential.
Burris’ next hearing is scheduled for June 17 and the unnamed suspect’s hearing is on June 5. Judges will make the ultimate decision on whether their respective cases remain in juvenile court.
Unlike adult courts — which are meant to determine criminal responsibility and punish — juvenile proceedings are more focused on rehabilitation, designed to protect minors and help them develop individual responsibility while also promoting public safety, according to the Minnesota House Research Department.
“No decision will be made until the process is complete,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty at a press conference announcing the charges last week.
Moriarty, a former public defender, campaigned and won her seat in 2022 advocating for progressive reforms on the juvenile justice system. However, she received heavy backlash for her prosecution of two teens in a high-profile murder case last year, with the victim’s family arguing Moriarty was too lenient, leading to Gov. Tim Walz reassigning the case to the Attorney General’s office.
Addressing the criticism, she said at the news conference that her office seeks to understand the facts of the Nudieland case and prosecute it appropriately.
“I absolutely know we will hold this young man and the other young man accountable,” Moriarty said on April 23. “But our process is to look at each and every individual as an individual and wait until we get the certification study, the psychological reports and talk to the people who have been harmed by this tragedy.”