Plea deal reached with Nudieland shooting suspect

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) has reached a plea deal with one of the two men involved in a deadly concert shooting last summer.

As part of the plea deal, Cyrell Boyd, 18, will testify against Dominic James Burris, the suspected main perpetrator of the shooting, who faces one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and five counts of second-degree assault.

Prosecutors say that instead of prison time, Boyd will be committed to a juvenile correctional facility, get intensive treatment, then be put on probation until he’s 26.

As previously reported, Minneapolis police responded to the shooting in the backyard of a home on the 2200 block of 16th Avenue South on Aug. 11, 2023. The shooting had occurred as a local band was finishing a Nudieland concert of 30-50 people.

Witnesses say the gathering was of people in the LGBTQ+ community and allies and that the shooters weren’t part of the community but had come to the concert and interacted with people in the minutes before the shooting.

Investigators were told by witnesses that Burris and Boyd made derogatory comments about the sexual orientations of people at the concert.

The witness said that around 30 seconds after she saw the two leave, she heard gunshots. The shooters were identified as Burris and Boyd, court documents state.

35-year-old August Golden was killed in the shooting and six others were hurt.

The specific terms of Boyd’s plea agreement are as follows:

  • Boyd will plead guilty to felony aiding an offender after the fact.
  • He will serve an 86-month stayed prison sentence and will be committed to the DOC in Red Wing for the loss of life program.
  • After his time at Red Wing, Boyd will return to Hennepin County District Court, where he will be certified as an adult and plead guilty to three additional charges: second-degree assault, aiding and abetting first-degree assault and aiding and abetting second-degree assault.
  • The plea includes a 110-month stayed prison sentence and Boyd will continue on probation for five years.
  • Boyd will be under state supervision until the age of 26 with a stayed prison sentence that may be imposed if he does not comply with the terms of his agreement or probation.

“The plea deal that we have agreed to with Mr. Boyd is critical to us pursuing an intentional murder case
against Dominic Burris, who was the instigator and main perpetrator of the terrible events that occurred
at Nudieland,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “According to our investigation, Mr.
Burris repeatedly and intentionally fired his gun into the gathering. Mr. Boyd provided critical evidence
that allowed us to develop an ironclad case against Mr. Burris. This led us to change our plea offer for Mr.
Burris which includes an increased period of incarceration and will require him to admit to intentional
2nd degree murder, reflecting his primary role in this horrific incident.”