On April 2, 2020, a dispute that festered on social media erupted into deadly violence on a street in South St. Paul, Minnesota, claiming the life of 20-year-old Brandon Jose Nieves. The tragic encounter was the culmination of a rivalry between Nieves and 19-year-old Marcelino Santiago Lopez, which centered around a romantic relationship with the same woman.
Lopez had been dating a young woman who later became involved with Nieves, sparking a period of animosity that played out online with threatening messages.
The conflict was intended to be settled with a physical fight, arranged through social media. On that Thursday afternoon, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Lopez drove his SUV to the 1600 block of North Concord Street, the designated meeting spot. Nieves arrived shortly after in another vehicle with three other individuals. Witnesses reported seeing Lopez's SUV pull up, followed by the car carrying Nieves and his companions. As the occupants of the second vehicle began to exit, Lopez drove a short distance away before stopping.
What was supposed to be a fistfight took a fatal turn when Lopez emerged from his vehicle armed with a shotgun. He opened fire on the group, striking Nieves in the head and critically injuring a 16-year-old boy with a gunshot to the chest. Brandon Jose Nieves was pronounced dead at the scene. The 16-year-old was rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery and ultimately survived his injuries.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Lopez fled the scene. However, he soon contacted the Dakota Communications Center and confessed to having just shot two people. Law enforcement located him in West St. Paul and took him into custody without incident. During questioning, Lopez admitted to his role in the shooting. He stated that he had gone to South St. Paul with the intention of fighting Nieves. He claimed that upon seeing multiple people exiting the other vehicle, he retrieved his shotgun and fired. Lopez also acknowledged that he had made several threats to kill Nieves on social media leading up to their fatal encounter.
Marcelino Santiago Lopez was subsequently charged in connection with the shooting. In November 2020, a Dakota County grand jury indicted him on charges of first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. Lopez waived his right to a jury trial, and a judge found him guilty of the charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Brandon Jose Nieves and received an additional sentence of over 14 years for the attempted murder of the 16-year-old victim.
