Christmas Eve Shooting Report Leads to Drug Bust at Rochester Home

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man is facing multiple charges after a reported shooting led to a drug bust at a Rochester home. 

See Also: Christmas Day Traffic Stop Leads to Major Drug Bust in Rochester 

The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court on Thursday, says Rochester police responded to an apparent shooting shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. It happened at an occupied home, the complaint says. 

Police were dispatched to a call for service at a home in the 6100 block of Shetland Dr. Northwest. The residents told police they heard the sound of glass shattering. 

The officer was then shown a room that had a bullet hole through the window. It appeared the round then struck a mirror in the room it entered then ricocheted into a room that people were sitting in, the charges say. 

Get our free mobile app

An off-duty officer reported hearing gunfire coming from the area of White Pine Dr. Northwest, which lies to the west of the home struck by the bullet, the complaint says. 

Police were then permitted to enter the home that was the suspected source of gunfire. Officers learned the suspect had sent text messages earlier that suggested he was suicidal. 

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website. Resource information is provided for free as well as a chat message service. To speak directly to a professional, call 988. You are not alone and help is available. Every life is important.

The complaint says officers were shown a video that captured a resident of the home, identified as 25-year-old Benjamin Allen Harris, exiting an upstairs bathroom while holding a firearm. He racked the gun, which caused rounds to fall out of the side.  

Shooting Heard by Off-Duty Police Officer Leads to Rochester, MN Drug Bust

Harris showed officers a gun case that was holding a bb gun. Police then searched the bathroom that Harris was in. 

The complaint lists 60 items officers saw, including  24.25 combined grams of suspected cocaine, 33.82 grams of amphetamines, multiple rounds of ammunition, multiple scales with residue that tested positive for cocaine, prescription pills and cash. 

Harris, who the complaint says was convicted of Arson in a prior juvenile case, told police he was holding the items for a friend. 

Harris is charged with two counts of first-degree drug possession, possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence and gross misdemeanor possession of a firearm as a user of a controlled substance. 

He was released without bail following his first court appearance on Friday and is due back in court next month.