Eight months after a mass shooting left a beloved member of the punk scene dead and six others injured at a show in south Minneapolis, a teen suspect is in custody and faces seven felony charges.
Dominic James Burris, who turned 18 last week, appeared in juvenile court Tuesday afternoon on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree intentional murder and six counts of felony assault with a firearm. Another teen faces similar charges that were filed under seal in early April. He is not in custody and charges say that the DNA testing of a cigarette during a complex investigation led to identifying him as a suspect.
Eyewitnesses saw the teens run away from the DIY punk venue Nudieland, where friends gathered Aug. 11 in the backyard of a house in the 2200 block of 16th Avenue S. for a show and birthday party. Gunfire erupted at 10:15 p.m. as a local band was wrapping up for a crowd of 30 to 50 people.
Charges say the shooting was motivated by bias of the victims’ gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. The suspects were heard making derogatory epithets prior to the shooting.
“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.”
Musician and songwriter August Golden 35, who friends described as talented, generous and inviting, died shortly after officers arrived at the scene. Golden played in the Minneapolis punk band Scrounger after moving to the Twin Cities following stints in New Orleans and Santa Cruz.
Rolling Stone magazine wrote a feature on Golden, as he was deeply involved in not only the local punk scene, but also known nationally.
“He was dedicated to the subcultural world we live in. He wasn’t just a spectator,” friend and Scrounger bassist Bryan May told the Star Tribune last summer.
One victim was shot in the torso, injuring his intestine and liver and requiring a kidney to be removed, charges say. Another victim had a bullet graze their cheek. The other victims suffered gunshot wounds to their thighs, shin and leg.
Eyewitnesses said the suspects were not part of the Nudieland community and interacted with several people prior to gunfire. One woman said the teens hit on her and made insensitive comments as she rebuffed their advances, charges say. She described the interaction as hostile and commented about them having guns, to which they said, “We’re not going to use the gun or anything, but if need-be we will.”
Another woman said she saw the suspects flashing guns and heard them make insensitive comments after learning the witnesses were lesbians, charges say. Other witnesses at the party said they overheard the suspects “utter derogatory epithets about the sexual orientation of the concert attendees,” charges say.
The suspects remained at the concert, eventually leaving out the front door. But within 30 seconds, gunshots rang out. One witness later saw the suspects walking along a fence in the neighboring yard north of the yard where the concert was being held.
Charges say officers recovered nine discharged cartridge casings from that neighboring yard; eight casings were 9 millimeter and one was a .380, indicating that two firearms were used.
A witness who lives near Nudieland said he was at the show but went home for bed. He heard the gunshots and raced downstairs, seeing someone in a red hooded sweatshirt running down the alleyway and another person in a black hoodie peek around the corner of the alleyway. The witness followed the suspects and observed them walk away from the scene.
Investigators located surveillance video from the path that the witness observed. Another witness with knowledge of the shooting later identified Burris wearing the red hoodie, charges say. It would take forensic DNA testing to identify the other suspect.
Since eyewitnesses reported seeing at least one suspect smoking cigarettes at Nudieland, investigators collected butts from an ashtray. Forensic examiners were able to develop a DNA profile that matched a known profile for Burris’ co-defendant.
Burris appeared at Tuesday’s hearing with family. They declined comment and so did his public defender, Camille Bryant. Two victims were in attendance and declined to comment. Over Zoom, Golden’s family listened in.
Burris will remain in the juvenile detention center. A court appearance is set for May 1.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more details.
