Eden Prairie man pleads guilty to fatal shooting outside Minneapolis restaurant

An everyday altercation on the dance floor of the Conga Latin Bistro in northeast Minneapolis last December led Franclin Ignacio Orellana to do what he always did, help a friend.

As the altercation escalated, Orellana, who everyone knew as Nacho, was shot and killed by Juan Josue Canario Robles as Robles drove away in a car.

“He was sticking up for a friend,” Omar Orellana said of his uncle. “He literally gave his life trying to help a friend.”

Robles, 22, of Eden Prairie, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder without intent on Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court and faces up to 15 years in prison.

Travis Keil, the defense attorney for Robles, declined to comment on the case. Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Allison Reyerson referred calls to a county spokesperson who didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Omar Orellana said his family has been devastated by the loss of his uncle, who was a husband with four children.

“A lot of people are suffering, a lot of therapy, a lot of depression,” Omar said. “My uncle was a normal good person, he wasn’t involved in any bad activities.

“Somebody so young from one day to another just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Court documents alleged a fight started inside the Conga Latin Bistro after Robles’ girlfriend told him one of Orellana’s friends approached her on the dance floor and made her uncomfortable. The altercation started inside the restaurant but, after security guards intervened, the fight spilled outside. Robles started punching Orellana’s friend again and pointed a gun at his chest.

Robles and his girlfriend got into a car and began to drive away when she told investigators she pulled her gun out of the glovebox. Orellana and his friend, upset after the fight, chased after the car. Robles grabbed his girlfriend’s gun and fired out the window, killing Orellana.

Police investigators found a 9mm pistol inside Robles’ apartment and he provided a statement saying that he had fired a shot at Orellana. The gun used in the shooting was allegedly thrown off a bridge.

Jury selection was slated to start this week and court filings showed Robles planned to argue self-defense. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged him with two counts: second-degree murder with intent and second-degree murder without intent, both of which carry a maximum sentence of 40 years. Robles will be sentenced Oct. 9, and the plea calls for a sentence between 11-15 years.

Omar said his uncle was his best friend, a diehard Packers fan who loved talking sports every day. He had deep ties to his Ecuadorian community in Minnesota and around 500 people attended his funeral. “He was very loved,” Omar said.

The plea deal, which could see Robles released when he is in his 30s, isn’t giving the family any respite.

“My uncle is not coming back,” Omar said.