27-year-old woman charged with murder in weekend shooting at Marcy-Holmes deli

A 27-year-old Minneapolis woman fired into a crowded deli early Saturday morning, fatally wounding a man after a brawl erupted between customers waiting for their food, according to charges filed Wednesday.

Misti Dawn Nelson was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 40-year-old Kenneth Maurice Johnson of Wayne, Mich. Nelson turned herself in to authorities eight hours after the shooting.

She remains jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon.

According to the charges:

Minneapolis police found Johnson lying in the street in the 600 block of University Avenue SE. about 3:45 a.m. Saturday with a gunshot wound to the torso. He was rushed to HCMC, where he died within the hour.

Officers quickly learned that a "physical altercation" involving a group of people inside Mr. Santana, a popular late-night deli and convenience store near the University of Minnesota campus, had precipitated the shooting.

Witnesses told police that five customers, including Nelson, were waiting to buy food inside the store when Johnson entered with two women. Those women "started a fight" with a male customer already inside, charges say, which soon involved the entire group.

Nelson pulled a handgun from her waistband and started hitting one of the women who started the brawl in the head, charges say. Johnson, who was outside when the fight broke out, quickly reentered the shop and attempted to intervene by pushing Nelson backwards. One of his female associates then punched Nelson in the face and her sister retaliated.

Eventually, Nelson was pushed out of the shop. She began waving her gun around as her sister screamed for the customers to get out. But the brawl continued and Nelson opened the door, charges say, before firing one round into the crowd. When Johnson exited the shop behind Nelson, he was shot a second time.

He then ran across the street and collapsed. Forensic analysts found two discharged bullet casings at the scene.

Nelson called to turn herself in, through a relative, about eight hours later. In a police interview, she admitted to shooting Johnson twice, saying she "aimed at his torso like she was 'trained' in the permit to carry class," according to the complaint. Nelson, who has a valid license to carry her Glock 43 9mm handgun, claimed she fired because she was struck in the face during the fight, feared for her sister's safety and Johnson was "bigger than her."

Authorities noted that she never called 911 or attempted to render aid to Johnson.

Her criminal history in Minnesota includes misdemeanor charges in a 2018 animal cruelty case stemming from the discovery of 46 cats and dogs in the north Minneapolis house she shared with her mother. The animals were in such poor condition that 33 of them had to be euthanized.

She pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count and served one year of probation in that case.