Guilty Plea Entered in Rochester Drive-By Shooting Case

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - On the day her trial was set to begin, a Rochester woman today pleaded guilty to a felony charge stemming from a shooting last year.

According to court records, Rochester police responded on the night of April 1, 2025, to a report of a shooting at a southeast Rochester apartment building. The investigation led to the arrest of 29-year-old Mercedes Jeanne Meyers.

Charged with Drive-By Shooting and Felony Assault

According to the criminal complaint, Meyers was accused of firing a handgun at another woman during a confrontation outside the residence along 7th Avenue Southeast. She was charged with drive-by shooting toward a person and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

Kim David/TSM

Shooting Witnessed by Two Women

The court document includes statements made by two witnesses who had gone to the residence to pick up the victim and were waiting outside when another vehicle pulled up behind them. One of the witnesses heard the gunshot, and the other told police she saw a woman inside the vehicle pull out a gun and fire it.

According to a witness, the shooter said something to the effect of “she wasn’t there to fight, but there to shoot.” The criminal complaint says the witness also told police she knew the shooter by the name Mercedes.

Mercedes Meyers criminal complaint-Olmsted County court

Ongoing Dispute Between Shooter and Victim

The victim told investigators that she and Meyers had been involved in an ongoing dispute concerning the father of the victim’s child. The charges state that during a verbal confrontation, the victim saw Meyers lean across the passenger side of the vehicle with a dark-colored pistol before firing a single shot. The victim reported that she saw the muzzle flash, and her ears rang before she fled the scene.

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Bullet Entered Apartment

Another resident of the apartment building told police he heard a crack, and what appeared to be a wooden shaving then fell inside his apartment. The criminal complaint says the officer then observed what appeared to be a hole in the door to the man’s apartment and found a .40-caliber bullet that had traveled through the door into a wall in the living area of his residence.

When police located the vehicle involved in the incident, the criminal complaint says a spent .40-caliber shell casing was found in the center console near the gear shift.

Plea Deal

Meyers avoided trial today by entering into a plea agreement. She admitted to the second-degree assault charge in exchange for the dismissal of the drive-by shooting count.

She is scheduled to be sentenced in May.

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Gallery Credit: Minnesota Now