Rahssan Wilson, a 32-year-old Black / African American male, was fatally shot in Fargo, North Dakota, on the afternoon of December 4, 2024. The shooting occurred around noon at the Summers at Osgood Apartment complex in the 4500 block of 47th Street South. Witnesses and first responders provided immediate first aid to Wilson, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation quickly identified 30-year-old Steven Burrell, an acquaintance of Wilson's, as a suspect. Police said the two men knew each other, and a friend of Wilson’s reported they had been in contact just moments before the shooting. After the incident, Burrell fled North Dakota, sparking a multi-state manhunt. A comprehensive investigation involving local, regional, and federal law enforcement partners tracked his vehicle through the Midwest. Just 36 hours after the homicide, on the evening of December 5, investigators located and arrested Burrell at a gas station in Dubuque, Iowa.
Burrell’s return to North Dakota was complicated by an outstanding warrant for contempt of court in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. On December 22, 2024, he was extradited to Louisiana to address that charge before he could face potential charges in Fargo. In the meantime, the investigation uncovered a second suspect, Patrick Martin, a 24-year-old from Chicago. With Martin's arrest, a motive came into focus. According to court documents, Burrell believed Wilson had previously robbed him and enlisted Martin to help him rob Wilson in retaliation, expecting to get more than $10,000.
Both men were charged in Cass County with murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. Court documents detailed the fatal encounter: Martin and Burrell met Wilson outside the apartment complex and followed him inside. As the three men walked up a flight of stairs, a fight broke out between Burrell and Wilson. Wilson yelled for someone in a nearby apartment to get a gun. Investigators stated that at that point, both Martin and Burrell fired one round each at Wilson before fleeing the building. An autopsy determined that either bullet could have been fatal on its own.
On December 29, 2025, Patrick Martin pleaded guilty in Cass County District Court to one count of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. As part of the plea agreement, a second murder charge was dismissed. On June 1, 2026, a judge sentenced Martin to 45 years in prison for his role in Rahssan Wilson's death. As of that month, Steven Burrell remained in custody in Louisiana, with an active Cass County warrant for his arrest on two counts of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
