Minneapolis Man Faces Riot Charge in 2025 Gunfight
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Minneapolis man is facing a felony riot charge after investigators say he repeatedly fired a handgun during a chaotic shootout outside a business late last year.
The gunfight sent bullets toward people, homes, a church, a school and a Metro Transit bus with riders aboard.
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Court records show Vinneo Dearies Cotten, 23, has been charged with second-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon stemming from the Nov. 30, 2025, incident near the intersection of Dowling Avenue North and Fremont Avenue North in Minneapolis.
According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched around 2:43 p.m. for reports of a shooting at a store in the 3600 block of Dowling Avenue North. When officers arrived, they located video evidence showing multiple people firing guns in the area and recovered seven spent 9mm shell casings from the parking lot.
At the same time, police were notified that a 17-year-old with gunshot wounds to the arm and leg had arrived at North Memorial Medical Center. The teen told officers he had been present during the shootout and was on foot near the intersection at the time he was hit.
Investigators say surveillance video captured two armed people involved in the exchange of gunfire. One shooter was seen on foot, south and east of the other, firing a handgun toward that second shooter and two people who were with him. The complaint states the second shooter then began firing multiple rounds back toward the first shooter and others nearby.
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That second shooter is alleged to be Cotten. The video, according to investigators, shows Cotten firing his handgun one-handed multiple times in what police describe as a reckless manner. The rounds were fired toward people roughly 40 yards away and in the direction of a Metro Transit bus about 57 yards away that had passengers inside. Investigators say Cotten also fired toward single-family homes, a church roughly 93 yards away and a school approximately 143 yards away.
The complaint states that before the gunfire erupted, video shows Cotten and two associates exiting the store on Dowling Avenue North and walking toward a white sedan in the parking lot. Moments later, Cotten is seen firing his handgun in the direction of the victim while the two associates remained nearby.
A law enforcement officer familiar with Cotten from prior investigations reviewed the video and positively identified him as the shooter, according to the charging document. Authorities sought a warrant citing public safety concerns.
Cotten is charged with second-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon, a felony that carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A judge signed a warrant for his arrest on Jan. 13 and set bail at $50,000.
