Man With 2019 Murder Conviction Charged After Minneapolis Gunfire
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Saint Paul man with a prior 2019 murder conviction is now facing new felony charges.
Prosecutors say the suspect was on probation and had recently been released from prison when he allegedly fired a gun outside a Minneapolis nightclub last summer.
Trashaun Nij Morris, 25, is charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm or ammunition and with recklessly discharging a firearm within a municipality.
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Prosecutors have charged 25-year-old Trashaun Nij Morris with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm or ammunition and with recklessly discharging a firearm within a municipality.
The charges stem from a July 18, 2025, shooting outside The Gay 90’s nightclub in downtown Minneapolis, according to a criminal complaint.
Police say the incident unfolded around 11:47 p.m. and officers were sent to the parking lot outside the nightclub on a report of shots fired. Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows a man wearing a black hoodie walking in the area minutes before gunfire erupted. Police identified Morris through that surveillance footage and his prior contacts with law enforcement.
The footage shows Morris walking with two other people before getting into a verbal confrontation with another group. As the argument continued in the parking lot, shots were fired and dozens of people scattered to escape the area. Investigators say Morris was captured on video running through the lot with a firearm in his hand before fleeing the scene and tucking the gun into his waistband.
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After the shooting, officers processed the area and recovered multiple spent cartridge casings from the parking lot where the gunfire occurred. No injuries were detailed in the complaint, but authorities described the scene as chaotic due to the number of people present when the shots were fired.
Court records show Morris was convicted of second-degree murder in Dakota County in September 2019, stemming from a March 2018 shooting outside an Inver Grove Heights movie theater that left 19-year-old Billy Ray Robles dead. Morris was 17 at the time of the killing and was initially charged as a juvenile before a judge later certified him to stand trial as an adult. As part of a plea deal, he was sentenced to 128 month in prison and four other felonies were dismissed at sentencing.
Because of the prior conviction, Morris is prohibited from possessing ammunition or firearms. The firearm possession charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum possible sentence of 15 years if convicted. The reckless discharge charge carries a potential sentence of up to two years.
Morris was charged with a nationwide warrant and is not yet in custody as of publication.
