Merelle Joan White, 20, was killed in a mass shooting in Minneapolis on the night of April 29, 2025. Police responded just before midnight to 911 calls and ShotSpotter activations in the 1500 block of East 25th Street and found five people shot inside a vehicle. Merelle, along with Evan Ramon Denny, 27, and Joseph Douglas Goodwin, 17, were pronounced dead at the scene; another victim, LeRas Francis Rainey, 28, later died at the hospital. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Merelle’s death a homicide from a gunshot wound to the head.

A 20-year-old woman who survived being shot in the face identified the shooter as a man who had been sitting in the back seat before he opened fire and fled on foot. That witness identification and other evidence led to the May 1, 2025, arrest of 34-year-old James Duane Ortley, who was charged with multiple counts of second-degree murder and one count of possessing a firearm by a convicted felon.

Merelle was a member of the Bear Clan from Red Lake, Minnesota, known to family as Merelli and Nizho Nagweyaabin, meaning 2nd Rainbow. She loved basketball, music and her family; loved ones held a two-day wake and traditional service at the Red Lake Center to honor her. If anyone knew Merelle or has information about what happened that night, please share it with investigators.