On June 13, 2015, at approximately 10:00 AM, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at the Mi Rancho Restaurant located at 677 Anne St. NW, Bemidji, MN. The victim, identified as Otoniel Carranza, 32, of Bemidji, MN, had forced his way into the back door of the restaurant, which was not yet open for business and only had employees present.
Carranza, a former employee of the restaurant, initiated an altercation with several employees, which escalated into a fatal shooting.
The shooter was identified as David Mendoza, the owner of Mi Rancho Restaurant. Mendoza stated that he shot Carranza to protect himself and his employees. According to Mendoza, Carranza had been fired approximately ten days prior due to getting into physical altercations with other employees. Following his termination, Carranza had demanded money from Mendoza, initially asking for $2,000 to pay rent and travel to Atlanta where his family lived. Mendoza, who considered Carranza family as he was a cousin of Mendoza's wife, gave him the money. However, Carranza later demanded an additional $10,000, which Mendoza refused to provide.
On the morning of the incident, Carranza arrived at the restaurant and began causing a disturbance. Mendoza, fearing for the safety of his employees and himself, retrieved a gun from his office. When Carranza approached him in a threatening manner, Mendoza shot him. The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, along with Bemidji PD, began investigating the scene immediately. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension assisted with the forensic examination of the crime scene, and an autopsy was conducted by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner.
As of the latest updates, no charging decision had been made, and the investigation was ongoing. The authorities had not released further details about the incident or any potential charges against Mendoza.
