A Minot man facing a count of Class AA felony murder in connection to a fatal 2023 shooting entered a plea of not guilty during a hearing on Friday.

Quantdre Mersier, 31, Minot, waived his preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday afternoon in North Central District Court, and pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ansu Kamara, 29.

According to court documents, Mersier is accused of shooting Kamara in northwest Minot in November 2023. Kamara was transported to a Minot hospital for treatment for a serious gunshot injury, and Mersier was initially charged with attempted murder. Mersier was later charged with murder after Kamara succumbed to his injury.

A warrant of arrest was issued for Mersier, but he remained at large until he was arrested by the Fort Wayne Police Department in Indiana, with assistance from the U.S. Marshal Service in April 2024.

Mersier remains in custody at the Ward County Jail due to a prison sentence of four years out of Indiana for possession of a firearm by a felon incurred during his arrest.

Mersier’s next court date is a pretrial conference on Wednesday, April 30.