On June 13, 2015, at about 10:00 AM, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting at Mi Rancho Restaurant, 677 Anne St. NW, Bemidji, Minnesota. The victim was Otoniel Carranza, 32, of Bemidji. Carranza, a former employee, reportedly forced his way in through the restaurant’s back door before it opened and got into an altercation with employees that escalated to gunfire.

The shooter was identified as David Mendoza, the restaurant owner. Mendoza said he retrieved a gun from his office after Carranza began causing a disturbance and that he shot Carranza when Carranza approached him in a threatening manner. Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office and Bemidji PD processed the scene with assistance from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; an autopsy was performed by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner. No charging decision had been announced and the investigation remained ongoing.

Did anyone in the Bemidji area know Carranza or have information about his employment and interactions at Mi Rancho?