Fatal crash after pursuit adds to mounting Minneapolis tragedy
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The shooting at Annunciation was part of a tragic stretch in Minneapolis, with eight people losing their lives in 10 days. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
A suspected armed carjacker fleeing Minneapolis police Thursday morning crashed into another vehicle, killing two women and injuring a small child, according to law enforcement.
The big picture: The fatal crash on the North Side is the latest in a 10-day stretch of tragedy — including six homicides — that has rocked the city.
What they're saying: "Every incident compounds the pain and anxiety that people in our community are feeling," Police Chief Brian O'Hara said after a Tuesday shooting at a bus shelter near Chicago Avenue and Lake Street left a 32-year-old man dead, per the Star Tribune.
Catch up quick: A mass shooting across the street from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in South Minneapolis on Aug. 26 killed one man and seriously injured six other adults. Two alleged accomplices have been arrested, according to KARE 11, but the shooter remains at large.
- Hours later, two men were shot to death in separate incidents in downtown Minneapolis and the Whittier neighborhood.
- The next morning, the Annunciation shooting left two kids dead and 21 injured. Two girls remained hospitalized as of Thursday.
Context: The surge in violence upended what had been a year of declining crime in the city.
- Minneapolis' homicide count reached 44 as of Wednesday. Last year, there had been 53 homicides at this point. Shots-fired calls and gunshot wound victims are both down about 18% this year, according to city data.
The latest: Thursday's crash at Penn Avenue and Olson Memorial Highway followed what O'Hara described as an armed carjacking on East Lake Street, per Fox 9. O'Hara said the suspect crashed a Ford Explorer, carjacked a woman driving a black Volkswagen and fired multiple shots as he fled.
- Police received reports that the Volkswagen was driving erratically downtown and they pursued, O'Hara said. Three minutes later, the suspect crashed into an uninvolved vehicle.
- A child in that vehicle, believed to be 5 or 6 years old, was being treated Thursday for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Fox 9. The identities of the two deceased women had not been released as of Friday morning.
- Police said the suspect had earlier taken three dogs out of the crashed Explorer on Lake Street. One of those dogs had to be euthanized at the scene. The other two were treated for injuries.
- The suspect was taken into custody and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
What we're watching: This is likely to prompt more questions about MPD's pursuit policy. O'Hara said the department was criticized for not chasing suspects who were smashing vehicles in the city earlier this summer because they can't when the offenses are only theft and property damage. This is different, he said.
- "We have to balance the need to apprehend, in this case, a dangerous and violent gunman, with the risk that these pursuits pose to the public."