Court Upholds 3-Year Sentence for Rochester Fairgrounds Shooter

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota Court of Appeals has denied an appeal filed by a Rochester man now serving a prison sentence for a shooting that occurred at the Olmsted County Fairgrounds.

Court records state that Kelvin Armando Figueroa-Milan was convicted of firing three shots at another person during an altercation involving a group of people outside Graham Arena 3 on the night of September 2, 2023. According to the criminal complaint in the case, the venue was hosting a quinceañera party at the time.

Rochester police officers who responded to reports of the shooting found three spent shell casings at the scene.

The criminal complaint says investigators identified Figueroa-Milan as the suspected shooter, and he was arrested about a month later during a traffic stop. He was charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and a felony count of reckless discharge of a firearm.

Fairgrounds Shooting Case Detailed in Court Records

The ruling issued by the state appeals court says that when he entered into a plea agreement, Figueroa-Milan testified that he got into a fight with another group of people and approached the victim. After they separated, he "fired three shots at him, towards him, not at him, towards him." Court documents say Figueroa-Milan also admitted that the "victim in this case was actually walking away" and "the fight had kind of broken up" at the time he fired the shots.

Shooter’s Background and Sentencing Arguments

He entered a guilty plea to the second-degree assault charge in exchange for the dismissal of the reckless discharge charge. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruling notes that during his sentencing hearing, Figueroa-Milan argued for a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines by explaining that he was raised in a New Jersey community where there was "a constant environment of violence, where guns were just accepted and commonly held and used by multiple people."

The judge in the case denied his request and imposed a mandatory minimum sentence of 36 months in prison, along with more than $1,500 in restitution. The appeals court ruling says the district court found that "this was a very dangerous offense," that Figueroa "got his gun illegally," and that he "shot the gun multiple times into a group of people."

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In its ruling, the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected Figueroa-Milan's argument that there was an abuse of discretion by the judge and upheld his three-year prison term. The Minnesota Department of Corrections lists August of next year as his anticipated release date.

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