Shooter in Rochester Drive-By Shooting Gets Three-Year Prison Sentence

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- An Indiana woman has been sentenced for a conviction stemming from a drive-by shooting in Rochester. 

Read More: Guilty Plea Entered in Rochester Drive-by Shooting Case

Rochester police responded to the gunfire on April 1 of last year at a southeast Rochester apartment building.

The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of 29-year-old Mercedes Jeanne Meyers. She was accused of firing a shot from a handgun at a woman outside of a residence on 7th Ave SE. 

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Former Rochester Woman Sentenced for Drive-By Shooting

Statements made by two witnesses who had gone to the residence to pick up the victim. They were waiting outside when another vehicle pulled up behind them. 

One of the witnesses heard the gunshot, and the other told police she saw a woman inside the vehicle pull out a gun and fire it, the complaint says. 

According to a witness, the shooter said something to the effect of “she wasn’t there to fight, but there to shoot.” The criminal complaint says the witness also told police she knew the shooter by the name Mercedes. 

Shooting Stemmed from Dispute

The victim told investigators that she and Meyers had been involved in an ongoing dispute concerning the father of the victim’s child. 

See Also: Rochester Man Sentenced for Murder of 34-Year-Old Woman in Wabasha County 

The charges state that during a verbal confrontation, the victim saw Meyers lean across the passenger side of the vehicle with a dark-colored pistol before firing a single shot. 

The victim reported that she saw the muzzle flash, and her ears rang before she fled the scene. 

Bullet Hits Apartment

Another resident of the apartment building told police he heard a crack, and what appeared to be a wooden shaving then fell inside his apartment. 

The criminal complaint says the officer then observed what appeared to be a hole in the door to the man’s apartment and found a .40-caliber bullet that had traveled through the door into a wall in the living area of his residence.

No injuries were reported. 

Shell Casing Found in Vehicle

When police located the vehicle involved in the incident, the criminal complaint says a spent .40-caliber shell casing was found in the center console near the gear shift. 

Meyers was charged with drive-by shooting and second-degree assault. 

In March, she agreed to a plea deal and entered a guilty plea to the assault charge in exchange for the dismissal of the drive-by shooting charge on the day her trial was scheduled to begin. 

On Monday Meyers was sentenced to three years in prison. She was given credit for four days served.