Authorities ID three who died in Minneapolis crash involving SUV that had been fleeing troopers
Updated: 4 p.m. | Posted: 10:50 a.m.
Authorities have identified the three people who died early Sunday when an SUV that had been fleeing state troopers crashed into their vehicle at a south Minneapolis intersection.
The Minnesota State Patrol reported that driver Kenneth Carpentier, 64, and passengers Sherly Carpentier, 65, and Kimberly Gunderson, 48, died when their Dodge Ram was hit just after 1:15 a.m. at the corner of Cedar Avenue South and 35th Street, outside the landmark Matt's Bar.
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The Patrol said the Carpentiers are from Bullhead City, Ariz.; Gunderson is from Minneapolis. A relative of Gunderson told MPR News that she was getting a ride home from a gathering of longtime south Minneapolis friends when their vehicle was hit by what the Patrol said was a stolen SUV.
The 18-year-old Minneapolis man driving the SUV was seriously injured and is in custody at Hennepin Healthcare, the Patrol reported. Four passengers — ages 13, 14, 16 and 16 — also were injured and taken to the hospital.
According to an account of the incident provided by the Patrol:
At about 1:15 a.m., a trooper observed a Ford Escape that had been reported stolen traveling east on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis.
"The trooper followed the vehicle without lights and sirens until additional resources could arrive. The Escape exited southbound on Highway 55, and then exited to go southbound on Cedar. At the bottom of the ramp to Cedar, two troopers attempted to stop the vehicle once it turned onto Cedar. The vehicle continued to flee," the Patrol reported in a news release.
The Patrol said the pursuit was "terminated after approximately four blocks" by a lieutenant because a Patrol helicopter was overhead.
"The suspect vehicle continued on Cedar and crashed moments later into a westbound vehicle at 35th Street and Cedar," the Patrol reported.
The vehicles came to rest outside Matt's Bar. The building was not damaged; an employee was cleaning debris from the crash off the sidewalk later in the morning.
Relatives of Gunderson stopped at the crash scene on Sunday morning. AnnDee Gunderson said her cousin Kim was an office manager and lifelong south Minneapolis resident, which is why she was at what she called a "south side reunion" on Saturday night.
AnnDee said Kim was doing the responsible thing by getting a ride home.
"She was getting carpooled by her friends, got caught up with the car chase and they crashed into her," AnnDee Gunderson said.
AnnDee said her cousin was like a sister to her.
"She was just fun to be with, always in a good mood, very sweet, adorable, very contagious — you just wanted to be around her," she said.
Calling it an active investigation, the Patrol declined a request by MPR News to answer questions about the crash Sunday.
Earlier this year the Patrol faced criticism for a pursuit that ended with a driver crashing into a Minneapolis playground, injuring three young siblings.
Speaking with MPR News at the crash scene, AnnDee Gunderson said there are many questions she wants answered about the crash that claimed her cousin's life.
"I don't know the whole details so I can't assume or judge anything right now," she said. "So I'm just going to gather information and kind of process it my own way."