Minneapolis police are investigating after a man and woman were shot inside a vehicle on the city’s south side Sunday night.
The incident happened around 10:20 p.m. on the 2800 block of Stevens Avenue South in the Whitter neighborhood, according to police.
The woman had potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds, while the man suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, officials said. Both were taken to the hospital after officers provided medical aid.
Minneapolis police investigate a shooting near the intersection of East 28th Street and Stevens Avenue South on Feb. 15, 2026.
WCCO
Police say they’re working to determine what led to the shooting.
According to officials, no arrests have been made.
Minneapolis Police are investigating a fatal shooting that happened Friday evening.
Police say officers responded to a crash near 33rd and Chicago Avenue around 8:25 p.m. When officers arrived on scene, they found a car had crashed into a building.
Officers found the driver of the car, and discovered the driver, a man, had been hit by gunfire. They started CPR and other lifesaving measures, but the man died at the scene. Police say no one else was in the car when officers arrived.
“Any gun violence in the city is unacceptable. Our investigators will work tirelessly to follow all leads,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
Minneapolis police are investigating, but are asking anyone with information to please contact them.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says “people have had enough” after Border Patrol shooting – CBS News
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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CBS News “this is not sustainable” after a fatal shooting by a Border Patrol agent amid a weekslong immigation crackdown in the city.
A 33-year-old man is accused of having a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit hours after a crash involving a train in Minneapolis last October, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
Police say officers responded to the collision near Central Avenue Northeast and Columbia Parkway around 2:32 a.m. They saw a freight train traveling across the tracks, and two heavily damaged vehicles — a Cadillac Escalade and Toyota Rav4 — the court documents filed with Hennepin County said.
The Cadillac was stopped at the train crossing when the Toyota, later identified as being driven by the Columbia Heights, Minnesota, man, rear-ended it at high speed, according to the complaint. The impact resulted in both SUVs hitting the passing train.
Court documents said the driver of the Cadillac was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. A passenger of the same vehicle reported having glass in her face and mouth.
Paramedics at the scene said the man, who sustained serious injuries, appeared intoxicated and an officer saw he had bloodshot eyes and “different sized pupils,” according to the complaint.
The man was taken to the hospital where a blood draw, administered around four hours after the collision, showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of .223, court documents said.
The speedometer of the Toyota was “locked” at 68-69 mph after the crash, and the Cadillac driver estimated the man was driving between 85 and 90 mph before the incident, the complaint said. The posted speed limit at the scene is 30 mph.
According to court documents, the man was not in custody on Wednesday.
A 17-year-old boy is dead after shots were fired into a Minneapolis home where he was on Sunday evening.
Police said officers responded to the shooting on the 2200 block of Illion Avenue North around 6:26 p.m. They found the boy, who was suffering from an “apparent life-threatening gunshot wound.”
The officers provided him with medical aid before he was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a written statement that his agency will “devote every available resource to bring justice” for the boy and his family.
Investigators are working to learn the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to email Minneapolis police or leave a voicemail for them at 612-673-5845. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota, or called in to them at 1-800-222-8477.
Minneapolis police are investigating after they say a man suffered “potentially life-threatening injuries” in a stabbing on Thursday morning.
It happened around 4:45 a.m. near Franklin Avenue East and Chicago Avenue. Officers were called there after reports of a bleeding man boarding a Metro Transit bus.
The man was taken to the hospital after receiving medical help from the officers.
According to police, the stabbing did not happen on the bus.
Investigators are looking into what led to the shooting, and say there’s a “possibility that it occurred during an attempted robbery.”
As of Thursday afternoon, no one has been arrested.
Public confidence in police in the United States plummeted in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, with only 48% of Americans saying they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in police that year, a drop from historical norms above 50%, and remaining depressed in subsequent years.
Across the country, that erosion of trust has lingered, particularly in communities of color, and has reshaped conversations about public safety, accountability, and community policing. Against that backdrop, Atlanta’s newest police officers and firefighters are participating in a grassroots effort to rebuild trust one conversation at a time.
Jamal McKee – AFRD recruit. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Rookies from the Atlanta Police Department and Atlanta Fire Rescue hosted “Cookies With Rookies,” a community engagement event at Atlantic Station, designed to introduce first responders to residents outside of emergencies and foster dialogue in a casual setting.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the initiative is part of a broader city strategy to strengthen relationships and counter distrust that followed national controversies over police conduct and use of force.
Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
“These are our newest members of the department, and we want them to understand that community partnership is essential,” Schierbaum said. “The only way we succeed as an effective police and fire department is to have that relationship with our neighborhoods.”
For many Americans, efforts like this come amid ongoing skepticism about policing and the justice system. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that about a third of U.S. adults say things between police and Black Americans are worse now than before Floyd’s murder, and just 11% say the relationship is better.
Jamari Anderson- APD recruit. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Recruit Jamari Anderson, 22, said he chose to join the Atlanta Police Department because he wanted to be part of the solution and a reassuring presence in communities where distrust runs deep.
“At the end of the day, someone always needs a protector,” Anderson said. “Regardless of how
Anderson said being present and approachable at community events is one way future officers can begin to bridge the gap with residents.
On the fire side, recruits emphasized that trust is equally important when lives are at stake. Jamal McKee, a 28-year-old Atlanta Fire Rescue recruit who entered the academy in February 2024, said training demands precision and accountability.
“This job is very detailed,” McKee said. “You’re learning EMT work and life-saving measures. It’s not just your license in your hands, it’s other people’s lives.”
McKee, scheduled to graduate in April 2026, said becoming a firefighter offered him a way to serve while being a familiar, reassuring face in the community.
Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith, a veteran of 32 years, said building trust before emergencies occur can make a meaningful difference when crises strike.
“I always say, get to know us before the red lights come on,” Smith said. “When the lights come on, there’s chaos. Trust is key in those moments.”
The monthly engagement events will continue through 2026, including during major events like the World Cup, as part of ongoing efforts to rebuild community trust and dialogue between first responders and Atlanta residents.
Another recruit, 34-year-old Justus Wright, said he hopes residents remember firefighters as approachable people committed to service.
“If they see me again in the future, I want them to recognize me and know that I’m there to help,” Wright said.
Who wanted Nicki Lenway dead? That was the question police were asking on the evening of April 20, 2022. Around 7:30 p.m., Lenway had pulled into the parking lot of FamilyWise parenting center to pick up her 5-year-old son, Callahan. She was halfway between her car and the door when she was ambushed from behind and shot multiple times at point-blank range.
Nicole “Nicki” Lenway, a crime scene investigator for the Minneapolis Police Department, was gunned down in broad daylight and left for dead in a parking lot. The shooting was captured on camera.
Miraculously, Lenway survived, telling “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty, “I fell to the ground. … And the shooter stands over me and continues to try to shoot.” The mystery of who tried to kill Lenway is unraveled in “Who Wanted Nicki Lenway Dead?” A 30-minute encore airs Saturday, Nov. 22, at a special time — 10:30/9:30c — following the NWSL Championship on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
After firing at Lenway — hitting her in the arm and neck — the shooter fled. Left bleeding and struggling to breathe, Lenway called 911, but when the operator answered Nicki realized she was unable to speak.
Nicki Lenway was no stranger to violence. The 33-year-old worked crime scenes for the Minneapolis Police. But she never imagined she’d find herself on the other side of an investigation. “I knew that this could happen … but I didn’t want to believe it would,” she tells Moriarty.
Across the street from where Lenway was gunned down, Emilie Clancy was in her car at a red light and had witnessed the whole thing. “There was, um, a person who ran up to another person. … I heard two bangs and that other person collapsed,” she said.When the light turned green, Clancy pulled up next to Lenway. Clancy took over the 911 call and had Lenway get into the front seat of her car. She took off her jacket and placed it over Lenway’s neck to try and help stop the bleeding.
As the two women waited for help to arrive, they shared a powerful moment Clancy will never forget. “I just looked her in the eyes. … And I said, ‘Nikki, we’ve got this. We’ve got this. Just stay with me…’ I just wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone in this … And if that was the only thing I can give to this poor girl, like that — that would mean something to me.” Within minutes, first responders arrived, and Lenway was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
Police began their investigation into who committed the brazen attack by scouring the area for clues. They learned Lenway had been at FamilyWise to pick up her son who had a scheduled visit with his father, her ex-boyfriend, Tim Amacher. Officers spoke to Amacher in the lobby of FamilyWise and found out he had been inside the building with his son when the shooting took place.
Surveillance cameras captured the shooter targeting Nicki Lenway.
Hennepin County District Court
The first big break in the case came when officers discovered there was security footage from FamilyWise and two surrounding buildings. The first images showed Nicki arriving to pick up her son and someone dressed in all black with a mask over their face running her down from behind. Another camera, from a bank across the street, captured the dramatic moment the shots were fired. The shooter could then be seen fleeing on foot and driving off in a black Dodge Ram truck. But the truck had no license plates, and police couldn’t tell who was behind the wheel.
The next day, police were able to interview Lenway in the hospital. They asked if she had any idea who would want to kill her. Without a second thought, she told them she was convinced Amacher was involved. Amacher was a well-liked local taekwondo instructor. For police, it didn’t make sense that Amacher could have been the shooter. They knew Amacher was inside Family Wise at the time of the shooting and couldn’t have pulled the trigger.
Still, Lenway told police she and Amacher had a long and rocky history that included allegations of abuse — “One night he threw me against the wall holding my neck” — and a bitter custody battle over their son that eventually went to trial in the fall of 2020. When it was over, the judge awarded Lenway sole legal and physical custody. Tim was allowed just one supervised visit a week. For police, it was a clear motive.
But what about Amacher’s alibi? Could police connect him with the shooting? One of the detectives at the crime scene had asked Amacher what cars he owned. Amacher told him he owned the Jeep he was driving and a Dodge Challenger sedan. But the detective didn’t just take his word for it, and when he checked with Driver and Vehicle Services, he made a shocking discovery. Tim Amacher owned another vehicle: a Black Dodge Ram truck, just like the one the shooter was seen driving off in.
If it was Amacher’s truck, who was driving it? Police looked to the FBI for help, and agent Richard Fennern, a technology specialist, was assigned to the case. Amacher’s truck was a newer model and Fennern learned it had Wi-Fi, which, just like a cellphone, creates a digital trail. “We could track it much like we could a cellphone,” said Fennern.
Using data from Tim’s truck and his cellphone records from earlier in the day before the shooting, Fennern concluded the black Dodge Ram truck the shooter drove off in was in fact the same truck Tim Amacher had been driving earlier. It was a huge break. But it still left police with the same question — who was the masked person driving it away from the scene after shooting Nicki?
Police would question Amacher, and he told them the only other person who had access to his truck was Colleen Larson. Larson was younger than Amacher — she had been his taekwondo student since she was an adolescent. When she was 18 years old, she moved in with the taekwondo master and their relationship would eventually become romantic. Neighbor Charlie Dettloff told Moriarty, “She would call him Master … and ultimately kinda became, you know, like a maid or a servant to him.”
Police questioned Larson twice. The first time she denied any involvement, but during the second interview, which was recorded, she broke down and confessed: “I took the truck and I drove over there … and then I shot her.” Even though Larson admitted to pulling the trigger, she said the whole thing was Amacher’s idea.
INVESTIGATOR: So, he asked you, if you felt comfortable would you shoot Nicole for me?
COLLEEN LARSON: Yeah.
INVESTIGATOR: Yes.
Larson told police that after the shooting she got rid of the black clothes she wore to disguise her identity, but Amacher had disposed of the gun.
COLLEEN LARSON: He just said he would take care of it.
INVESTIGATOR: He just said he would take care of it. … So, you have no idea what he did with the gun?
COLLEEN LARSON : Not exactly, no.
Despite what Larson told police, Amacher denied any involvement before or after the shooting. Tim Amacher went on trial on Nov. 3, 2022. He was found guilty of premeditated attempted murder and aiding his accomplice, Colleen Larson, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. A few days later, Larson pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated attempted murder. She was sentenced to 16-and-a-half years.
Law enforcement was gathered near the intersection of East 19th Street and Third Avenue South, just south downtown.
WCCO cameras saw workers from the Minneapolis Police Crime Lab investigating outside of the Third Avenue Food Market, with several evidence markers on the ground.
Police were also taking a close look at a gray SUV with a broken back window.
WCCO has reached out to police to learn if anyone was hurt or if there’s a suspect.
Police in south Minneapolis are investigating after a 16-year-old boy was injured in a shooting on Monday afternoon.
Officers responded to the incident at 1825 E. Lake St. around 3:31 p.m., according to officials. They found the teen with a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening. He was taken to the hospital.
Investigators are working to learn the circumstances of the shooting.
Police in Minneapolis said they’re tracking five early-morning home invasions that have happened on the city’s north side in the past week.
One of the incidents involved a family being held at gunpoint after four masked men broke in.
“They had the guns all up in our face,” the mother said.
A loud thud woke her up, and when she walked out of her bedroom, she found a group of armed thieves inside her home.
“I came out and I instantly threw my hands up because I’m scared. I got my child in there, and I’m screaming, ‘No, please stop. My child is in here, my child is in here,'” she said.
The mother did not show her face during her interview with WCCO as she is afraid of the men who invaded her home, who have not been caught. She mentioned how she begged for her life and the life of her child.
“I was screaming, ‘Help, help, my child is in here, my child is in here. Don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me,'” she said.
“I woke up to yelling,” said Brenda Clark, who was in her bedroom upstairs during the incident.
Clark is the mother of the woman held at gunpoint.
“That’s when they got to running out the door, when they heard footsteps upstairs, and they heard my mom, like, ‘What’s going on down there?'” she said.
Clark went to her Ring camera and saw the men casing her North Minneapolis home.
“They were outside from 5:54 [a.m.] walking, pacing, looking dead at the camera. Like one person was like, ‘I don’t think it work.’ The other person was like, ‘It do work.’ They didn’t care. The point was they didn’t care,” Clark said.
Video shows the men helping boost one another inside the kitchen window. They then took cash, credit cards and other belongings from Clark’s daughters.
“Y’all was bold, to cut a screen, like y’all real criminals. This is what y’all do, you know, y’all’s specialty, in this, cut a screen and just come through the window. They plotted,” Clark said.
Investigators arrested one juvenile, and they are working to determine how many of the Minneapolis home invasions he is connected to.
Police are asking people to call 911 if they have any information.
The Minneapolis City Council voted last month to approve a $125,000 settlement for a man who claims a police officer severely injured him during a protest following the murder of George Floyd over five years ago.
According to the lawsuit, Mason Hermann, who was 20 at the time, was hit in the head with a non-lethal round during a protest outside the Third Precinct building on May 27, 2020. He was later found to have suffered a laceration to his scalp, an intracranial hemorrhage, a skull fracture and a concussion. His injuries have led to issues with cognitive abilities and otherwise negatively impacted his life.
Hermann’s lawyers say he had been peacefully exercising his First Amendment rights and that “no one was rioting or throwing projectiles at the MPD officers” while Hermann participated in the protest.
Without warning, the lawsuit claims, Minneapolis police officers began firing at the crowd with “40-millimeter projectiles, tear gas and other ‘less lethal’ munitions.” It was then that one of the non-lethal rounds hit Hermann in the head.
The lawsuit alleges the officer intentionally shot Hermann “in retaliation for and to chill Hermann’s further speech.”
Mayor Jacob Frey approved the settlement for the lawsuit last week.
Riley Moser is a digital producer who covers breaking news and feature stories for CBS Minnesota. Riley started her career at CBS Minnesota in June 2022 and earned an honorable mention for sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association the same year.
There are increased concerns in Minneapolis after a fire erupted at a mosque.
The fire at Al Hikma Mosque started around 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
Officials say accumulated trash near an unused entrance to the mosque was burning and extinguished by the Minneapolis Fire Department. The fire did not extend into the building.
CAIR-Minnesota
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR said security cameras recorded an unidentified person leaving the area.
CAIR is calling for an investigation into possible bias motive for the fire.
Minneapolis police say they are investigating to determine if the fire was suspicious.
Three men were injured in a downtown Minneapolis shooting on Friday evening.
At least 17 units responded to the shooting on the 700 block of Hennepin Avenue around 6:35 p.m., according to the city’s incidents dashboard.
Police said the three men suffered injuries that are not life-threatening.
A photojournalist at the scene saw police tape and evidence markers near spent shell casings on the ground.
Several Minneapolis police vehicles are parked in front of the Pantages Theatre on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after officers responded to a reported shooting during the evening of Sept. 26, 2025.
WCCO
Officials haven’t said whether an arrest has been made.
This is a developing story. Stay with WCCO.com to learn more.
Minneapolis police are investigating a deadly shooting that happened late Saturday night in the Ventura Village neighborhood.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara says officers responded to a report of gunfire near Chicago Avenue and East Franklin Avenue around 11:58 p.m.
A man was brought into Hennepin Healthcare a short time later with a life-threatening gunshot wound, according to police. He died at the hospital.
Investigators say preliminary information indicates an altercation happened before the shooting and the possible suspect ran from the scene.
A 911 caller reported hearing a single gunshot before seeing the victim collapse.
So far, no arrests have been made in the shooting.
Saturday’s shooting death marks the third fatal shooting in the city this week. Five men were injured late Monday morning near Metro Transit’s Interstate 35W and Lake Street Station. Days later, one of the victims died. Then, seven people were shot in another mass shooting at a homeless encampment Monday night. On Thursday, a 30-year-old woman injured in that shooting died.
In all, seven people were shot, according to police. Some of the victims were shot in the head, and at least one was shot in the stomach, investigators say. According to the city, 70 to 75 people were living on the property prior to the shootings.
Police on Friday said they are still working to “determine the sequence of events that led up to the shooting.” One man was arrested on Thursday for potential aiding and abetting after the fact, police said, but he has since been released.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara earlier said investigators could not rule out a connection between the two shootings at the encampments. Both incidents were believed to have been perpetrated by more than one shooter.
The shootings Monday night happened at an encampment that has been embroiled in controversy. The property owner, Hamoudi Sabri, had been in a standoff with the city over the use of his parking lot to shelter the unhoused. Mayor Jacob Frey said the city had been trying to clear this encampment out for months and has been met with resistance. He said the city has issued Sabri nearly a dozen public health notices for drug paraphernalia, open fire, excessive debris and lack of sanitation.
Over the phone, Sabri told WCCO if there are no other places for people to go that he would offer up his property again as an encampment space.
“The only reason people live in encampments is because there is no available, safe, stable, low-barrier shelter. No Navigation Centers. No emergency hotel beds. No plan. Nothing,” Sabri said.
The encampment was cleared following the shootings.
Eight people were shot at a homeless encampment in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood Monday night, police said.
According to the city’s incidents dashboard, over 20 police units responded to the 2700 block of East Lake Street just after 10 p.m. It was the second mass shooting of the day on East Lake Street.
“The people of Minneapolis deserve peace and safety. All residents of the city deserve that on their streets and in their neighborhoods and in their homes,” O’Hara said. “I know it’s been a lot of violence lately and we just want our community to know that we are not going to give up and that we will continue to fight so that every person in this city can be safe.”
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said four of the eight shot have life-threatening injuries.
An off-duty officer at a nearby Target saw multiple people running for help and heard gunfire, O’Hara said. Police found five people injured inside the encampment and three more showed up at local hospitals.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the city has been trying to clear this encampment out for months and has met with resistance. He said it will be cleared as soon as the investigation into the shooting is over.
“If [the property owner] wants to sue us, he can. If he wants to take this up in court, that is certainly his prerogative. but this is not safe,” Frey said. “This is a danger to the community and it’s being shut down right now.”
Five men were injured in a mass shooting on Monday morning in the area of East Lake Street and Stevens Avenue, police said. One man was found with life-threatening injuries, while three others suffered survivable injuries. A fifth victim, who is said to have been grazed by a bullet, was found some time later near East Lake Street and First Avenue South. Police said he refused medical treatment.
This is a developing story. Stay with WCCO.com for more.
Minneapolis police are investigating two deadly shootings that occurred hours apart early Sunday morning.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says a man and a woman are dead and another man is injured following the shootings.
The first incident happened just before 2 a.m. While police were responding to a ShotSpotter activation in the 1500 block of Lake Street East, the call was updated to a shooting, according to the department.
Upon arrival, officers found a man with life-threatening gunshot wounds and rendered aid until paramedics arrived. Police say he was transported to the hospital, where he died.
Officers were informed that a second man with gunshot wounds that did not appear to be life-threatening arrived at the hospital after transporting himself privately. Investigators believe he was injured in the Lake Street shooting.
The second shooting happened at approximately 7:53 a.m. on the 1400 block of Russell Avenue North. There, police met a woman with life-threatening gunshot wounds. Despite attempted life-saving measures, the woman died at the scene.
O’Hara says the second shooting may be related to domestic violence, and that the shooter fled before officers arrived.
No arrests have been made in either shooting.
“In recent weeks, our city has seen far too much senseless violence in a short period of time,” O’Hara said. “The Minneapolis Police Department will continue to work urgently to hold those responsible accountable, but we cannot do that alone. I urge anyone who knows something about these heinous acts to come forward and help us stop the violence.”
Police ask anyone with information on either incident to contact the department by emailing policetips@minneapolismn.gov or calling 612-673-5845. Anonymous tips can be submitted online or by calling CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
Riley Moser is a digital producer who covers breaking news and feature stories for CBS Minnesota. Riley started her career at CBS Minnesota in June 2022 and earned an honorable mention for sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association the same year.
A woman is in the hospital after she was shot in south Minneapolis on Friday afternoon.
Police say it happened on the 3000 block of 15th Avenue South around 12:28 p.m. Officers responded to the area after hearing reports of a shooting and found a woman with gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening. She was taken to Hennepin Healthcare for treatment.
Investigators say a group of people in a nearby alley were in an altercation that turned into shots being fired. According to police, the shooter left the area after the incident.
Officials say a woman was arrested and booked on warrants unrelated to Friday’s shooting.
Two women are dead and a child is injured after a carjacking suspect fleeing police crashed into a vehicle at a busy north Minneapolis intersection on Thursday morning, according to police.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a news conference his department was alerted to reports of a person with a gun on East Lake Street and Fourth Avenue South just after 8 a.m., which was soon updated to a carjacking in progress.
Witnesses said a man driving in a maroon Ford Explorer was traveling in a “flagrantly reckless manner,” speeding and swerving into oncoming traffic, and even driving on sidewalks on Lake Street, O’Hara said.
The suspect then crashed, pulled out a gun and tried to carjack a motorist at a red light. That motorist was able to drive away, but the suspect then “violently carjacked” a woman in a black Volkswagen at gunpoint.
WCCO
O’Hara said the suspect sped off, but then circled back to “retrieve three dogs from the Explorer.” After getting the dogs, the suspect drove off while firing gunshots.
At about 8:19 a.m., O’Hara said the suspect was seen driving recklessly downtown, and then was spotted driving in north Minneapolis at 8:36 a.m. Officers initiated a pursuit, which “ended tragically three minutes later when the suspect crashed into an innocent vehicle” on Highway 55 near Penn Avenue North, the chief said — stressing that no squad cars were involved in the collision, and the squad pursuing the suspect was “fully-marked.”
Marisa Casebolt
Casebolt family
The two women inside the other vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene, while a 6-year-old passenger with them suffered survivable injuries, according to O’Hara. The women were identified late Thursday as Marisa Ardys Casebolt and Liberty Borg. Both were 25 years old.
The suspect, a 45-year-old man from St. Paul, was arrested at the crash scene and transported to North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
O’Hara said a gun was recovered from the suspect’s stolen car. Two of the dogs inside were hurt in the crash, but the third was eventually euthanized due to its injuries.
“This is an outcome that we never want, as two innocent lives have been taken from us because of one person’s violent and reckless behavior,” O’Hara said during the news conference. “This is exactly why we take carjackings and gun crime so seriously, because they put every member of our community at risk.”
When questioned about his department’s pursuit policy, O’Hara described their rules as “stringent.”
“We’ve been criticized recently — because of all the smash-and-grabs and stolen cars that have affected literally hundreds of residents — for having a pursuit policy that does not allow pursuits in those cases,” he said. “We have to balance the need to apprehend, you know, in this case a dangerous and violent gunman, with the risk that these pursuits pose to the public. So we limit our pursuits only to those cases where we believe an immediate apprehension is necessary to protect the community from a violent criminal.”
O’Hara said his department is leading the Lake Street carjacking investigation, while the Minnesota State Patrol is leading the crash investigation.
The interim executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, David Titus, called for tougher penalties for violent offenders in response to the fatal crash.
“Two innocent women are dead and a child is injured solely because of the reckless, violent actions of a criminal who carjacked at gunpoint with shots fired – and then fled police through Minneapolis rush-hour traffic. Enough is enough,” Titus said in a statement.
Stephen Swanson is a web producer at CBS News Minnesota. Stephen was a floor director for a decade before moving to the WCCO-TV newsroom in 2011, where he focuses on general assignment reporting.