Families of fatal crash victims call for independent investigation
The families of five young women killed June 16 in a high-speed crash on Lake Street joined Twin Cities Muslim leaders Monday in calling for an independent investigation into the incident.
Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said the community deserves to know more about what led up to the crash, including whether there was a police pursuit, how traffic camera video of the crash made it onto social media and whether the state followed the proper procedures in reinstating the driver’s license of the suspect.
“That is the goal of the investigation, and also to hold accountability to those individuals who either violated their own policies or to hold accountability to those who were directly or indirectly involved in this incident,” Hussein said.
Hussein said he wants Gov. Tim Walz to appoint a special investigator who’s independent of the state patrol and other law enforcement agencies.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
The victims’ families also shared memories of their loved ones at the news conference in Bloomington at Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center, a mosque with which all five victims were affiliated.
Their family and friends said all five were bright, ambitious young women. They were each pursuing college degrees, mostly in the medical field.
Sundus Ali, the older sister of the youngest victim — 17-year-old Sabiriin Ali of Bloomington — said her sister started taking college classes while still in high school and was on the path to become a physician’s assistant.
Rukia Gesaade — the younger sister of 20-year-old Sahra Gesaade of Brooklyn Center — said Sahra was always studying and had hoped to become a doctor.
“She majored in health sciences because she always wanted to give back and help people who are in need. She always wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. Sahra was expected to graduate a full academic year ahead of schedule due to her dedication to her studies,” Rukia Gesaade said.
Yusra Ali — the best friend of 20-year-old Salma Abdikadir — said they graduated high school together and both taught religious education at the Islamic center.
“Salma was a kind and genuine person. She was like the therapist in our friend group. I believe this is why she was pursuing a degree in psychology at St. Paul College. Salma would listen to us talk about anything and never made us feel like we were a burden,” Ali said.
Family members also shared remembrances of Siham Odhowa and Sagal Hersi who were 19 and from Minneapolis. All five were laid to rest last week during a funeral that drew thousands of mourners.
Last week, both state and federal prosecutors charged the alleged driver of the SUV that hit the women with vehicular homicide and other crimes.
Prosecutors say Derrick John Thompson, 27, rented a Cadillac Escalade at the Twin Cities airport around 9:45 p.m. Friday evening. A little more than 20 minutes later, a Minnesota state trooper working speed enforcement along Interstate 35W spotted the SUV zip by at 95 miles an hour while weaving in and out of traffic.
The SUV crossed four lanes of traffic, exited at Lake Street, ran a red light and then T-boned the Honda Civic that the five young women were riding in. The force pushed the sedan into the wall of the 35W overpass, killing them instantly.
In their call for an investigation, the families of the victims want to clear up what they say is conflicting information about whether there was a police chase.
According to an affidavit by Minneapolis Police Sergeant David Lignell, the trooper never initiated a traffic stop because he was too far away to do it safely. Law enforcement critics said last week that lights and a siren might have alerted other vehicles to get out of the way and potentially avoided a high-speed crash.
State prosecutors charged Thompson with vehicular homicide. He also faces federal firearm and narcotics charges for the large amount of fentanyl and other drugs allegedly found in the SUV.
The state revoked Thompson’s license in 2018 after he pleaded guilty to fleeing police, and he served three years of an eight-year prison sentence in California for a 2020 hit-and-run crash that left a woman permanently disabled.
Thompson remains jailed on $1 million bond. He has another court appearance on the state charges next month and is also expected to make his first appearance in federal court soon on the other counts.