Teen pleads guilty to ‘Nudieland’ mass shooting that killed musician, wounded others in Minneapolis

A teenager pleaded guilty Wednesday in connection with him unleashing gunfire that killed one person and wounded six others at a backyard concert in Minneapolis nearly 1½ years ago.

Dominic James Burris, 18, of Hinckley, Minn., admitted in Hennepin County District Court to aiding and abetting second-degree intentional murder and aiding and abetting first-degree assault, great bodily harm, stemming from the mass shooting on Aug. 11, 2023, at the DIY pop-up punk venue known as “Nudieland,” an LGBTQ-friendly community.

Nicholas August Golden, 35, was killed while celebrating a birthday and watching live music with others in the 2200 block of 16th Avenue S. Golden was a musician and songwriter and deeply involved in the punk scene in Minneapolis and around the country.

The plea agreement between the prosecution and the defense calls for Burris to receive a sentence of slightly more than 23 years. With credit for time in jail since his arrest, he is expected to serve just shy of 15 years in prison and the balance on supervised release. Burris is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24.

“This was a senseless attack on members of our LGBTQ+ community who were enjoying an evening of music and camaraderie in Minneapolis,” County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “I have been continually amazed by the strength of those close to August throughout this process.”

Co-defendant Cyrell Boyd, 18, of Onamia, Minn., pleaded guilty and was sentenced in November for aiding an offender after the fact. The agreement required him to assist in the prosecution of Burris.

Moriarty said Boyd provided evidence allowing the prosecution to develop an “ironclad” case against Burris, who she said “repeatedly and intentionally fired his gun” into the crowd.

His prison sentence for those offenses will be set aside, and Boyd will be placed on probation for five years, when he turns 26.

According to court documents:

Burris and Boyd came to the show, made advances toward a woman they did not know and became hostile when they were rejected. She noticed they had guns and commented on it. One of the teens told her, “we’re not going to use the gun or anything, but if need be, we will.”

Other witnesses heard Burris and Boyd using epithets to describe the sexual orientation of people in the crowd.

After Burris and Boyd left the party, gunshots erupted less than a minute later from behind a fence in a neighbor’s yard.