MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A teenage suspect who allegedly made derogatory remarks about LGBTQ+ people before opening fire at a backyard punk rock show faces seven felony charges for a shooting that killed one person and injured six others in Minneapolis.
The document charging Dominic James Burris and another man says the shooting was motivated by bias against the victims’ gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
“Witnesses identified the gathering as a LGBTQ+ friendly community and the victims included people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer,” charges say. “Witnesses identified the shooters as two males who were not part of the community, but who had come to the concert and interacted with multiple people in the minutes before the shooting.”
Burris, who turned 18 last week, appeared in juvenile court Tuesday on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree intentional murder and six counts of felony assault with a firearm, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Burris’ mother, brother and public defender Camille Bryant declined comment after the hearing.
A second teen faces similar charges after being identified through DNA testing of a cigarette butt, but he’s not in custody and his whereabouts are unknown, according to the charges.
Musician and songwriter Nicholas Trevor Golden, who also went by August Golden, died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Golden, 35, played in the punk band Scrounger and was deeply involved in the punk scene in Minneapolis and other cities. Another shooting victim suffered injuries to his intestine, liver and a kidney, which had to be removed, charges say.
The shooting happened Aug. 11 at a pop-up punk rock show that was also a birthday party. Gunfire rang out as a band was ending the show for a crowd of 30 to 50 people.
“This shooting at what should have been a joyous event rocked our LGBTQIA+ community and increased fear among a community that is too often already under attack,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a news conference.
While Minnesota has no standalone hate crime charge, defendants can face charges with aggravating factors and enhanced sentencing if the crime is motivated by bias. It isn’t yet known if prosecutors will seek those upgraded charges. Prosecutors also haven’t decided whether Burris will be certified as an adult, Moriarty said.
Some witnesses at the party said they overheard the suspects “utter derogatory epithets about the sexual orientation of the concert attendees,” charges say.
The complaint said that about one minute after the suspects left the party, gunshots rang out. Charges say officers recovered nine discharged cartridge casings from two different firearms in a neighboring yard.
One witness told investigators he saw someone in a red hooded sweatshirt running down the alleyway and another person in a black hoodie peek around a corner of the alleyway, while another identified Burris wearing the red hoodie, charges say.
