Warrant issued for drive-by shooting suspect

A warrant has been issued for the suspect of a drive-by shooting that happened in Mankato last month.

Police say Domonic Xavier Simmons, 35, of Minnesota Lake, took a gun from his ex-girlfriend and fired shots into a house located in a neighborhood near Erlandson Park.

According to a criminal complaint, police received multiple calls of gunfire sounds around 11 p.m. on May 5, but couldn’t find any evidence of shots.

The following morning, a woman reported that someone had shot at her house the previous night between 11 p.m. and midnight.  The woman told police she hadn’t initially realized her residence had been struck by gunfire, but she’d heard a distinctive popping noise and her dog began to bark excessively.  She noticed the damage to the house the following day, according to the complaint.

Police say four bullet holes were found in the exterior of the home, and a 9mm bullet casing was found on the street in front of the residence.

The woman’s roommate, who was not home the evening of the shooting, told police he and Simmons had had an argument over the phone in which Simmons threatened to “send a guy to send shots,” says the complaint.

Last week, Simmon’s ex-girlfriend told investigators she had heard Simmons have a conversation about the shooting on the phone.  She claimed Simmons’ admitted to the shooting when she confronted him and told her her gun had been used.

The witness said Simmons had told her the shooting took place the night she was at a nail salon.  The woman recalled the night, telling police that Simmons had shown up, saying he wanted something from her purse.  The complaint says Simmons left the salon for a “period of time,” before returning with her handbag.  The woman told police she always carries a 9mm handgun in her purse.

Police say Simmons is a violent felon who is prohibited from possessing a firearm for life.

Simmons has been charged with felony counts of drive-by shooting  into an occupied building with a dangerous weapon, firearm possession, firearm violation, and second-degree assault.

Simmons’ whereabouts are unknown.  A nationwide warrant has been issued for his arrest.