Charges: Marcelino Lopez, 19, Shot And Killed 20-Year-Old With Shotgun, Injured 16-Year-Old, Over Dispute About A Girl
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Marcelino Santiago Lopez, 19, has been charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and first-degree assault after allegedly shooting two people on Thursday afternoon in South St. Paul.
South St. Paul Police responded to a report of gunshots being fired at about 1:30 p.m. In the 1600 block of North Concord Street, they located two victims in the street suffering from traumatic wounds.
Brandon Jose Nieves, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head. A 16-year-old boy from Georgia was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest. He is in critical condition.
Multiple witnesses on the scene reported seeing a man fire a shotgun at the victims before leaving northbound in a silver vehicle. The witnesses added that none of the victims appeared to be armed. While officers were interviewing witnesses, Lopez contacted the Dakota Communications Center and informed them that he had just shot two people. West St. Paul Police responded to his location and took him into custody.
He was then transported to the South St. Paul Police Department where law enforcement says he admitted that he had gone to the location where the victims were with the intention of fighting. Lopez indicated he had arranged to fight one of them on social media because one of the victims was currently involved in a romantic relationship with his ex-girlfriend, according to a criminal complaint.
Lopez claimed he arrived to fight one of the victims and then he started to drive away. He admitted that when he saw multiple people getting out of the car behind him, he stopped the car, grabbed his shotgun and shot two people before getting back in the car and leaving the scene.
Lopez also admitted that he had threatened to kill one of the victims on social media several times before meeting up with him to fight.
Now the 19-year-old faces a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison.
Lopez made his first court appearance on Friday and his bail was set at $1,500,000 without conditions. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 24.
