A dispute that began on social media ended in deadly violence on a South St. Paul street on April 2, 2020. Twenty-year-old Brandon Jose Nieves met 19-year-old Marcelino Santiago Lopez at a prearranged place and time that had been set for a fight over a romantic rivalry. Witnesses say Lopez arrived first; Nieves came shortly after with three others. What was supposed to be a fistfight turned fatal when Lopez allegedly produced a shotgun, fired at the group, and struck Nieves in the head. Nieves was pronounced dead at the scene; a 16-year-old in the group was shot in the chest, underwent emergency surgery and survived.

Lopez left the scene but called the Dakota Communications Center to say he had shot two people and was later located and taken into custody in West St. Paul. He admitted during questioning that he’d intended to fight Nieves, that he’d threatened Nieves on social media, and that he fired the shotgun after seeing multiple people exit the other vehicle. Lopez was charged in the case; a judge later convicted him of first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder and imposed a life term without parole plus an additional sentence for the attempted murder count.

If anyone knew Brandon, his movements that afternoon, or has information about the events leading up to April 2, please share what is known.