Former Rochester Charter Commission Member Sentenced for Christmas Eve Shooting & Drug Bust

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A former member of the City of Rochester Charter commission has been sentenced in a shooting and drug case. 

See Also: Medical Examiner Identifies Man Found Near Target Field 

26-year-old Benjamin Allen Harris was charged with first-degree drug possession, illegal possession of any firearm/ammunition by a person convicted of a crime of violence, and a gross misdemeanor count of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a user of controlled substances. 

In a plea deal reached in April, The Rochester man admitted to a third-degree drug possession charge and a felony count of discharge of a dangerous weapon. 

Ex Rochester Charter Commission Member Sentenced for Conviction in Christmas Eve Shooting and Drug Bust

The case began on the night of Christmas Eve 2024 when Rochester police responded to a home in the 6100 block of Shetland Dr. Northwest on the report of a shooting. 

Upon officers arrival, one of the residents showed police to a room in the home where a bullet struck a mirror and then ricocheted into the room where the occupants of the home had been sitting. 

An off-duty officer had also called in and reported hearing one or more gunshots coming from an area west of the house that was struck by the bullet, according to the criminal complaint. 

Police officers then approached a home in that area and were met by Harris and his parents. 

Get our free mobile app

At Harris's home, officers were shown a video that had been sent by Harris to his mother that showed him exiting an upstairs bathroom holding a firearm and racking the weapon, causing bullets to exit the chamber. 

Police were granted permission to search the home and found nearly 50 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, multiple containers of well over 50 grams of powdery substances, some of which tested positive for cocaine, the charges say. 

The complaint says officers also seized more than 30 grams of amphetamines, quantities of suspected ketamine, numerous pills, and a variety of scales and other items indicative of drug sales, including $376 in cash. 

Harris was sentenced Monday to five years probation. He was also fined $500 and ordered to serve 34 hours of community service.

City of Rochester records indicate Harris was formally removed from the city’s charter commission in December "due to failure to perform the duties of the office."