Charges: Suspect believed Burnsville shooting victim was involved with his girlfriend

A shooting in Burnsville last week appears to have happened after a Faribault man believed another person was involved with his girlfriend.

Prosecutors have charged 41-year-old Ronald Lambert Nielsen II with attempted second-degree murder and attempted first-degree assault.

Court documents state Burnsville police were called to a home on Nov. 30 on a report of a shooting. When officers and medics arrived, a man suffering from two gunshot wounds came out to the ambulance. Officers noted his pants were completely covered in blood and the man was also pale and sweating profusely.

While en route to a hospital, the victim said he’d been shot by Nielsen, who goes by the name “Barney,” because he thought the victim had been involved with his girlfriend.

A witness told police she’d been talking to the victim’s significant other and the significant other said she and Nielsen had suspected the victim was having an affair with Nielsen’s girlfriend.

When officers spoke to the significant other, she said Nielsen had been texting and calling her while she was at work. The complaint states that the significant other told Nielsen the victim was at their home and to go check if anything was going on with him and Nielsen’s girlfriend.

Court documents add that Nielsen’s girlfriend told police that she’d left Nielsen several days ago and was scared for her life, saying Nielsen thought she was sleeping with people and he was acting different other the last several months.

When officers talked with the victim at the hospital the next day, he said he was sleeping when Nielsen came into his bedroom and asked if he’d been talking to Nielsen’s girlfriend. After the victim denied it, Nielsen shot him twice and threatened to “blow your brains out” if the victim talked to Nielsen’s girlfriend, the complaint states.

The victim added that he’d dated Nielsen’s girlfriend 13 years ago but recently started getting “nonsense text messages” from Nielsen.

The shooting forced doctors to remove part of the victim’s small intestine, according to the complaint.

As of Monday, Nielsen still hadn’t been found and wasn’t yet in custody.