The teenage suspect charged in the Nudieland mass shooting will appear in adult court for the first time on Wednesday

One of two teenagers charged in the deadly August 2023 mass shooting at Nudieland, a home for punk music shows in Minneapolis, made his first appearance in adult court Wednesday.

Dominic Burris, 18, is charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and six counts of aggravated assault in the shooting that killed one man, 35-year-old August Golden, and injured six other people. Burris pleaded not guilty to the charge.

As Burris entered the courtroom, he smiled at his parents and younger brother, who were sitting in the front row. His family declined to comment.

Also present were August Golden’s partner Caitlin Angelica and a gunshot victim.

The judge set his bail at $1 million. His next court date is scheduled for November 26th.

The second suspect in the shooting is 18-year-old Cyrell Boyd. A judge has yet to decide whether he should be charged as a juvenile or an adult. His next court date is November 1st.

Burris was 17 at the time of the shooting and his case was originally filed in juvenile court.

Hennepin County Judge Sydnee Woods on Monday certified Burris to stand trial as an adult, citing “several aggravating factors.”

“The fact that this was a mass shooting with at least seven gunshot victims and many other victims present demonstrates that this conduct is more egregious than other murders and shootings,” the judge wrote. “Furthermore, respondents’ use of derogatory profanities prior to the shooting suggests that the incident was motivated by the victims’ gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. “Finally, the incident occurred in the backyard of a private home.”

Burris’ defense team argued that his case should remain in juvenile court because his actions were committed while he was drunk on the day of the shooting and the evidence did not prove he was the primary participant.

They also argued that Burris’ traumatic history – including a PTSD diagnosis due to alcohol abuse and his numerous stints in child protection – supported an argument for “mental impairment.”

They also recommended that Burris be placed in a juvenile detention center in Red Wing, which serves youth up to age 21. That means Burris would have 32 months of rehabilitation time, which prosecutors said was “insufficient for killing a person during a mass shooting.” .” Prosecutors also argued that it was unlikely he would have his needs addressed within 32 months.

“The court finds that two and a half years is an inadequate sentence for the acts alleged in the petition – a murder resulting from a mass shooting linked to LGBTQ+ bias,” Woods wrote.

Woods ruled in favor of the state’s arguments that Burris was fully complicit in the alleged crime, had an escalating criminal history and was inconsistent with the programming into which he was placed. She also reflected on Burris’ lack of success in previous programs.