Minneapolis Man Avoids Prison in Shooting That Left Victim Seriously Hurt

Oct 14

A 62-year-old man has pleaded guilty to a New Year’s Eve shooting that left another man seriously injured in north Minneapolis.

According to a plea petition filed Oct. 13, Robert Darrel Martin admitted to second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the Dec. 31, 2024 shooting at his home on the 3700 block of Emerson Avenue North.

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He also entered a guilty plea to a separate third-degree burglary charge from a Jan. 2024 incident.

Police were called to Martin’s residence around 11 p.m. after reports of a shooting. Officers found a man at the doorway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. The victim told police that Martin had shot him inside the home before fleeing. While officers were still at the scene, Martin returned and was arrested.

Investigators say Martin initially told officers that he fired after seeing what he believed was an armed shadow inside the home. He admitted firing a gun provided to him by a cousin earlier that night, saying he thought someone was trying to kill him. Police recovered a .45 caliber Glock handgun in an alley where Martin said he had thrown it after the shooting. The victim survived after being transported to the hospital, where doctors found that a single bullet had passed through his chest, abdomen and groin.

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Court records show Martin told officers he had been using crack cocaine throughout the day and had been acting erratically before the shooting.

Under the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to a stayed 36-month prison sentence for the assault, meaning Martin will serve probation instead of prison time if he follows conditions of his sentence. Those include five years of probation, 180 days in jail, completion of substance use and mental health assessments, and enrollment in the Teen Challenge recovery program upon release. He also must avoid contact with the victim, remain law-abiding, and abstain from drugs and alcohol with random testing.

For the burglary case, Martin will receive a concurrent 15-month stayed sentence.

Martin remains in custody at the Hennepin County Jail pending final sentencing and program placement.

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