Charges Filed in Rochester Restaurant Shooting Incident

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The investigation into a shooting at a Rochester retail center last month has resulted in charges against an 18-year-old Rochester man.

Rochester Teenager Charged

According to the criminal complaint against Josue Ulises Martinez, he is accused of firing a gun from the driver's seat of a car following an altercation at a Rochester restaurant in the early morning hours of April 12. He has been charged with 2nd-degree assault, felony terroristic threats, 2nd-degree riot, and reckless discharge of a firearm.

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Gunfire Reported Outside Rochester Restaurant

The court document says Rochester police responded to a report of gunshots in the vicinity of Fiesta Café along North Broadway around 2 a.m. on April 12. The responding officers found a spent 9 mm shell casing, a knife, and blood on the ground. Additional officers in the area reported seeing the vehicle aggressively fleeing by hopping curbs, running red lights, and driving recklessly. The criminal complaint states that the vehicle is registered to Martinez.

Shooting Connected to Ongoing Dispute

According to the charges, investigators determined that Martinez and his associates had been engaged in an ongoing dispute with a 24-year-old woman and her associates. The criminal complaint says the two groups got into an altercation inside the restaurant, and witnesses told police that Martinez said "he had a firearm, and that when he saw them outside of the restaurant they were dead."

Surveillance Camera Videos

Surveillance camera videos show the two groups in what was described as an animated argument, with multiple people holding the woman and Martinez apart so they could not physically assault each other. The criminal complaint says that, when neither of them was being restrained, the woman attempted to hit Martinez with a closed fist, and an associate of the woman produced a knife and stabbed a person associated with Martinez in the neck.

Fight Included Stabbing

As the altercation continued, the court document says the woman and Martinez threw drinks at each other while the person who had been stabbed exited the area. The stabbing victim could be seen walking out of the restaurant and was described as visibly injured.

Gunshot Fired From Vehicle

The criminal complaint says Martinez and his friends then got into a vehicle, and as Martinez was driving out of the parking lot, at least one gunshot was fired from the vehicle. The court document indicates the spent shell casing was found directly where the vehicle was located when the gunshot was fired.

Eyewitness Accounts 

Rochester police were able to locate the person who was seen stabbing Martinez's associate. According to the charges, he told police that he saw Martinez holding a black-colored pistol and firing it as he drove away. A female witness also corroborated his version of events and identified Martinez as the shooter.

The criminal complaint does not indicate whether the person who allegedly stabbed the other individual in the neck has been charged, but Rochester police earlier reported that a teenager had been arrested on a felony assault charge in connection with the incident. The court document also does not include any information about the severity of the injuries suffered by the stabbing victim.

READ MORE: Teen Arrested in Connection to Rochester Shooting

Last month, Rochester police disclosed that investigators had executed several search warrants in connection with the investigation.

Conditional bail for Martinez was set at $25,000.