Quantdre Mersier

A Minot man awaiting trial for the fatal shooting of another man in Minot in 2023 has changed his plea to guilty after entering into an agreement with Ward County prosecutors.

Quantdre Mersier, 31, Minot, plead guilty on Tuesday in North Central District Court to fatally shooting Ansu Kamara, 29, Minot, in northwest Minot in November 2023. In accordance with the plea agreement, Mersier faces a 50 year sentence with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, to first serve 23 years.

According to court documents, Karmara was transported to a Minot hospital for a serious gunshot injury, and Mersier was initially sought on a charge of attempted murder. The charge against Mersier was upgraded to Class AA felony murder after Kamara succumbed to his injury.

Mersier remained at large until he was arrested in April 2024 by the Fort Wayne Police Department and the U.S. Marshal Service in Indiana.

District Judge Todd Cresap ordered a pre-sentence investigation, and Mersier’s sentencing has been scheduled for Oct. 24, according to court records.