NYE shooting: Man prohibited from firearm possession charged in shooting death

A man prohibited from being in possession of a firearm has been charged in a fatal shooting at a New Year's Eve party in Minneapolis.

Bernard Augusta Mack, 28, of St. Paul, is charged with second-degree murder and felony possession of a firearm for his alleged role in a shooting that police say was over an argument with an ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.

On Jan. 1, 2023, officers were dispatched to a shooting at 4430 Lyndale Avenue North around 3:40 a.m. and encountered a three-story industrial building with numerous people leaving. Police later learned the site was a location of an "after-hours" party. 

On the third floor, officers located numerous discharged cartridge casings and blood. Four total firearms were recovered from the building, including a Beretta, two Glocks, and a rifle, according to police.

While en route to the location, officers were flagged down by a vehicle in the area of 42nd Avenue North and Lyndale Avenue North. A victim in the vehicle rolled out of the passenger seat, and officers observed what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his chest, police said. He was transported to North Memorial Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police spoke with the victim’s girlfriend, who said that they had been at a party when she saw her ex-boyfriend, identified as Mack, who approached them about his car windows that had previously been broken. Mack accused them of doing it, police said.

She attempted to pull the victim toward the door to avoid confrontation when another male "jumped him" – picking him up as if he was going to throw him on the ground. At that point, she said Mack shot him, according to charges.

She then reported hearing several more gunshots from different guns.

During the investigation, police interviewed a witness who reported that he had been working security on the third floor at the time of the shooting and that they were turning people away because the event was too crowded.

He said he did not see any confrontations or anything unusual until reportedly hearing 10 total gunshots, police said.

The scene was chaotic, and he said never saw a shooter or the direction the gunfire came from, but later while driving home, he realized he was bleeding and discovered a gunshot wound to his buttocks, according to charges.

Another witness described the altercation as appearing like a "school yard fight" where people converged to watch, according to charges.

During a post-Miranda statement, Mack stated that the victim had broken his car windows, which cost him approximately $1,200.

He said that at that one point, someone punched him in the face, and he heard shots being fired, but that he did not see the shooter and was tackled to the ground, according to charges.

Mack was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous convictions and is currently on probation in a different firearm case. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance for the second-degree murder charges on Monday.