In the early morning hours of November 29, 2015, the life of Roger Falana, a 30-year-old Black / African American male, was tragically cut short in a downtown Minot, North Dakota alley. The incident, which unfolded at approximately 3:10 a.m. in an alley between 1st Street SW and South Broadway, also resulted in the injury of a 43-year-old woman who was shot twice but survived.
An altercation that began at the Ice Cold Ryders motorcycle club clubhouse spilled out into the nearby alley, culminating in the fatal shooting. Both Falana and the alleged shooter were reportedly guests at the clubhouse.
Authorities identified 27-year-old Johnny Norwood as the suspect in the shooting. Following the incident, Norwood fled the scene. The investigation led law enforcement to Las Vegas, where he was apprehended in July 2016. The motive for the shooting was believed to be gang-related, with authorities suggesting Norwood had ties to a California gang and Falana had connections to a gang in his home state of Florida.
In August 2017, Johnny Norwood entered an Alford plea to charges of Class AA felony murder for the death of Roger Falana and Class A felony attempted murder for the shooting of the female victim. This plea allowed him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution had enough evidence for a potential conviction at trial. Under a plea agreement, a charge of reckless endangerment for firing into a crowd of bystanders was dismissed. A judge sentenced Norwood to 40 years in prison, with a requirement to serve 25 years, for the murder of Falana. He also received a concurrent 20-year sentence for the attempted murder. As part of his sentence, Norwood was ordered to pay over $14,000 for Falana's burial expenses.
