Red Wing man charged with murder of girlfriend that led to hours-long standoff

A Red Wing man is now formally charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend, prompting a crisis response that lasted for several hours Sunday evening.

The woman was identified on Tuesday as Andrea Elizabeth Broyld, 40.

According to a criminal complaint, Darryl Dion Nixon Jr., 41, called 911 just before 5 p.m. He was crying on the phone and asked for police to come to his duplex on the 1000 block of Putnam Avenue in Red Wing. Law enforcement later learned Nixon was armed and suicidal, and that a woman inside the home had been shot.

Nixon made remarks about the woman being “gone,” and at one point he stepped outside and fired a gun in the air once before an officer hit him with a less-lethal round and he fell back into the apartment. While the Goodhue County Emergency Response Team was on the scene, officers at various points saw Nixon hold a gun to his head and repeatedly beg for police to “just shoot me.”

Nixon’s mother turned up as police were trying to coax him outside. According to the complaint, Nixon and Broyld had been at her house about 15 minutes before he called his mother saying he had shot her. Nixon’s mother said her son suffered from mental health issues and had a history of experiencing hallucinations. However, she noted the couple seemed to be “in good spirits” during their brief visit earlier in the afternoon.

Officers asked to come inside to check on the status of Broyld, but he just told them “she’s dead.” Crisis responders negotiated for about three hours before Nixon put the gun down and came outside to surrender, the complaint states.

After searching the home, investigators say they found Broyld on the couch with at least 10 gunshot wounds to her chest and abdomen.

Nixon is charged with one count of second-degree murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years.

At a hearing on Tuesday, a judge set his bail at $1 million with conditions or $2 million without conditions. His next court appearance is set for Monday.

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