Rochester Shooting Investigation Leads to Second Guilty Plea
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A second teenager has admitted to a felony weapons-related charge in connection with a shooting that occurred earlier this year in southeast Rochester.
Machine-gun charge dismissed as part of plea agreement
Olmsted County court records indicate that 18-year-old Mitawan La Holt has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence. His plea agreement calls for the dismissal of a felony charge of possession of a machine gun. Holt, who is from Plymouth, is scheduled to be sentenced in January.
Charges related to shooting investigation
According to the criminal complaint, Holt and another teenager, 18-year-old Kartier Dominick Kotero of Rochester, were arrested during the investigation into a shooting at the Homestead Village Apartments on the night of March 18. A social media video of the incident shows a 16-year-old boy from Hayfield firing two shots at a garage on the property. No injuries were reported.
The juvenile suspect was charged in connection with the shooting in juvenile court.
Investigators located evidence on social media
While investigating the shooting and the suspect’s social media activity, court documents say investigators identified Kotero as an associate of the juvenile. The criminal complaint indicates that Kotero had been involved in multiple gun-related incidents in 2023 and 2024.
Rochester police reported that investigators obtained a search warrant for Kotero’s phone records after viewing numerous gun-related posts on his social media pages. One of those posts included a still image from a video showing a gun that matched the firearm used in the March 18 shooting.
Accused of helping juvenile shooting suspect build machine-gun
The complaint alleges that Kotero assisted the juvenile shooting suspect in building firearms and obtaining parts used to convert a semiautomatic weapon into a machine gun..
Arrests followed high risk traffic stop.
The investigation led to a “high-risk” traffic stop in Rochester in August that resulted in Kotero’s arrest. The criminal complaint says Holt was a passenger in the vehicle and fled on foot, holding his right side as he ran from officers.
Search led to the discovery of modified machine-gun
Following Holt’s arrest, the court document says an officer and a K-9 searched the path he took while fleeing and located a handgun equipped with a sear switch and an extended magazine. The criminal complaint says Holt admitted to officers that he possessed the firearm, which had been converted into a machine gun.
Kotero plea agreement
Kotero pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to furnish dangerous weapons to a minor in exchange for the dismissal of charges of possession of a machine gun and illegal possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
Previous juvenile convictions
According to the criminal complaint, Holt was convicted of first-degree aggravated robbery in Hennepin County juvenile court last year, while Kotero was convicted of possession of a machine-gun conversion kit in Olmsted County in 2024.
More Minnesota News:
- 57-Year-Old Woman Found Deceased at Rochester Apartment
- PEM School Gets All Clear After Threat Report
- Olmsted County Approves $76M Highway 14 Interchange Contract
13 Things You Never Knew That Were Invented in Minnesota
Gallery Credit: Tony Hart
