Woman Charged in Minneapolis Drive-By Shooting, Gun Found in BMW
Hennepin County Jail Booking Photo
Published: September 12th, 2026.
MINNEAPOLIS: — A woman has been charged with felony drive-by shooting after prosecutors allege she fired a gun toward another woman during an argument in Minneapolis.
Dejanay Love Rootues, 35, is charged in Hennepin County District Court with one felony count of dangerous weapons — drive-by shooting toward a person — and one gross misdemeanor count of carrying a pistol without a permit.
According to the criminal complaint, Minneapolis police responded on Sept. 10 to a ShotSpotter activation involving a vehicle on 14th Avenue North. Approximately 30 minutes later, an officer reported seeing a white BMW SUV associated with the incident pull into the driveway of a residence.
Officers arrested Rootues, who had been inside the BMW, and searched the vehicle, the complaint alleges. Police reportedly found a pistol and an extended clear magazine inside a cross-body bag in the trunk, along with a second firearm described in the complaint as a teal LPC .380.
The alleged victim later flagged down officers and told police that she and Rootues had gotten into an argument. According to the complaint, Rootues was in the front seat of the BMW, a man was in the passenger seat and a small child was in the back seat, while the alleged victim was outside the vehicle on foot.
The woman told investigators she saw Rootues reach into a black bag near the center console and pull out a firearm. She said she turned and began running from the BMW before hearing a gunshot, according to the complaint. She told police she believed Rootues fired through the passenger-side window in her direction.
Rootues gave investigators a different account, according to the complaint. Following a Miranda warning, she allegedly told officers that she was dropping her children off at school when the other woman approached her and an argument began. Rootues said the two knew each other because of a conflict involving their children.
Rootues allegedly told investigators that the other woman produced a firearm, waved it around and threatened her. She denied knowing about two loaded firearms that police said were located in the vehicle behind where her children had been seated, according to the complaint. Rootues also allegedly acknowledged that she did not have a permit to carry a pistol but denied touching the firearms.
Police also reported finding a clear plastic bag containing suspected narcotics while searching Rootues following her arrest. According to the complaint, officers later identified some of the pills as oxycodone and two others as MDMA/methamphetamine.
The charges listed in the complaint are limited to the alleged drive-by shooting and carrying a pistol without a permit.
The felony drive-by shooting charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. The gross misdemeanor pistol charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 364 days in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.
The allegations contained in the criminal complaint have not been proven in court, and Rootues is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.