In the early afternoon of December 21, 2022, a fatal encounter unfolded at a bus stop in Minneapolis. Derrick Luke Harding-Reyes, a 31-year-old Native American and Hispanic male, was at a bus shelter near the intersection of Nicollet Avenue South and 24th Street East. Around 12:45 p.m., what began as a conversation with another man escalated tragically.
Surveillance footage from the area captured the moments leading up to the shooting.
An 18-year-old man, later identified as Jose Cippirno Dominguez, was seen getting off a bus and approaching the shelter where Harding-Reyes was. After a brief verbal exchange, Dominguez reportedly pulled out a firearm, racked the slide, and shot Harding-Reyes in the head. The gunman then fled the scene, leaving Harding-Reyes on the sidewalk with a life-threatening gunshot wound. Despite the efforts of first responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Minneapolis Police Department immediately began an investigation. Initially, they believed the shooter was someone known to the victim. Investigators were able to track the suspect's movements using a K-9 unit and video evidence. A significant breakthrough in the case came from bus records, which showed that the suspect had used a bus pass issued in his name to pay for his ride shortly before the homicide.
This evidence led investigators to Jose Cippirno Dominguez. When questioned, Dominguez denied his involvement, claiming he was at home at the time of the shooting. However, he showed investigators his bus pass, which he took from a distinctive wallet that was also visible in the surveillance footage. A search of his home uncovered clothing that matched what the shooter was wearing in the video. Dominguez was arrested and subsequently charged with second-degree intentional murder. He was taken into custody and awaited his court appearance.
