Charges: Eden Prairie man shot 44-year-old following Minneapolis bar fight
UPDATE (AUG. 13, 2024): Juan Robles pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9.
MINNEAPOLIS — A 21-year-old Eden Prairie man has been charged in connection to a fatal northeast Minneapolis bar shooting last month.
Juan Robles was charged with two counts of second-degree murder for the death of 44-year-old Franclin Orellana.
On Dec. 16, officers were called at about 2:12 a.m. to the intersection of East Hennepin Avenue and 5th Street Southeast, in the area of Conga Latin Bistro, where they found Orellana suffering from several gunshot wounds.
According to a criminal complaint, police spoke with a witness, who was with Orellana at the time of the shooting, that claimed Robles approached him at the bar regarding the woman he was dancing with, later identified as Robles' girlfriend. The man said he "didn't want any problems." Robles then allegedly punched him, so he says he left the bar.
The witness told police that Robles followed him outside, pointed a gun at his chest and began making threats toward him.
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Security allegedly witnessed the interaction and told Robles "not to do this here," charging documents say. Robles began to punch the male witness again and the two began to wrestle. Robles then got into a vehicle and began to drive away.
The witness told police Orellana chased the vehicle because he was upset about the fight. He claims he saw Robles point a gun at Orellana and shoot him.
Officers arrested Robles on Dec. 21 at his apartment in Eden Prairie. While conducting a search warrant, investigators say they recovered a 9mm pistol and .45 caliber and .223 caliber ammunition.
Police took a statement from Robles' girlfriend, who said that a man approached her on the dance floor at Conga and made her uncomfortable, so she told Robles. She says when they left, Robles went back inside to use the restroom while she waited in the car. When he returned, Robles allegedly told his girlfriend that he had got into a fight with the man from the dance floor.
As they were driving away, she told police she heard banging on the car and pulled her gun out of the glovebox when Robles grabbed it from her and shot out the window.
Robles' girlfriend claimed she threw the gun in the river but then amended her statement and said Robles actually threw it in the river. Robles, however, says his girlfriend threw it off a bridge.
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Robles confirmed to police that he had confronted the man on the dance floor and that the two fought multiple time throughout the evening. He told police he saw two men running toward his car as he was driving away when his girlfriend pulled the gun out and started aiming it over her shoulder, toward Orellana. He admitted that he took the gun from her and fired a shot at Orellana.
Robles bail is set at $1 million with conditions.
Note: The video above originally aired Dec. 16, 2023, before charges were filed against Robles.
