Main suspect pleads guilty in mass shooting at Minneapolis punk show
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Dominic Burris, 18, pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his role in a mass shooting at a punk show in south Minneapolis in 2023.
After previously pleading not guilty, Burris changed his plea to guilty for aiding and abetting both second-degree murder in the death of August Golden and first-degree assault against Tonio Alarcon-Borges.
The plea agreement drops five other charges of second-degree assault. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said he will serve a sentence of more than 23 years.
Burris is the second person to be convicted in the mass shooting at Nudieland on Aug. 11, 2023.
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The other is 18-year-old Cyrell Boyd, who admitted guilt to one count of aiding and abetting Burris during the shooting in juvenile court. As part of his deal, Boyd pinned Burris responsible for shooting into a crowd in the backyard of a house. He also admitted to helping Burris avoid police detection.
Another man, 21-year-old Elias Thompson, has also been charged with aiding and abetting. His trial date is set for April 21.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty previously said Burris “was the instigator and main perpetrator of the terrible events that occurred at Nudieland.”
Burris did not have his family present in the courtroom on Wednesday. He spoke in short and monotone answers.
Prosecutors previously said Burris and Boyd were not known to the community inside Nudieland, which is largely punk and LGTBQ+, and walked in seeking alcohol. A man denied their attempts to get alcohol, after which the pair decided to leave and Burris reportedly said “Let’s shoot it up.” Boyd told prosecutors he thought Burris meant to shoot in the air to scare partygoers, so he fired one shot into the air while he said Burris fired at the crowd.
According to recent court documents, Burris ran over a person with a car after they refused to buy him alcohol in March 2024 — seven months after the shooting.
Six survivors were shot at Nudieland, including Alarcon-Borges, who had a kidney removed as a result. During the court hearing, prosecuting attorney Sean Cahill said some of the victims felt the agreement was rushed and felt disregarded because the five other charges were dropped.
“I am disappointed and upset,” said Jenny, one of the gunshot victims who was present in the courtroom. MPR News is not using their last name to protect privacy.
Jenny said they were informed about the plea agreement two hours before the court hearing.
“To have this all happen very fast, I think is like kind of whiplash for myself, other victims, probably August’s family too,” they said.
Burris will be sentenced on March 24 and will hear victim impact statements.
“This was a senseless attack on members of our LGBTQ+ community who were enjoying an evening of music and camaraderie in Minneapolis. I have been continually amazed by the strength of those close to August throughout this process,” Moriarty said in a statement. “Mr. Burris’s actions took August’s life and traumatized many more. It should never have happened, and the length of this sentence holds him accountable for the significant harm he caused and protects our community.”