Five Somali-American women killed in car crash in Minnesota

A US man who served a hit-and-run sentence in California state prison until his release earlier this year remained jailed Tuesday, awaiting charges after a crash killed five young women in the city of Minneapolis when the speeding driver blew past a state trooper, ran a red light and slammed into their car.

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Derrick Thompson, son of former MN State Rep John Thompson, is now booked in jail on probable cause murder for the crash that killed five young women on Friday night. pic.twitter.com/fEtDSdIf9W

— Lou Raguse (@LouRaguse) June 19, 2023

Derrick John Thompson, 27, of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was evaluated at a hospital and then booked into the Hennepin County Jail on Monday in the aftermath of Friday’s crash. The victims – Salma Abdikadir, Siham Adam, Sabiriin Ali, Sahra Gesaade and Sagal Hersi – were all between 17 and 20 years old.

Thousands of mourners from the area’s large Somali American community attended the young women’s funeral Monday at the Dar Al-Farooq mosque in Bloomington, where the five had been active members. They were returning home from a Somali mall where they had henna applied in preparation for a friend’s wedding scheduled for the next day when their car was struck.

Minneapolis police say they’re investigating a car crash that left 5 dead. They say a speeding driver exited 35W where it went through a red light hitting another vehicle. A traffic camera shows the vehicle and what appears to be a State Trooper exiting at a high rate of speed. pic.twitter.com/XKpBwL0v3b

— daviss (@daviss) June 17, 2023

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office was reviewing the case and would make a charging decision soon. Prosecutors have until noon Wednesday due to the holiday weekend.

“Our community is grieving the loss of the five bright young people whose lives were cut short in a senseless, selfish act of reckless driving,” Moriarity said in a statement. “Instead of celebrating a joyous wedding, these families were forced to plan funerals and deal with the devastation of this tragedy.”

California court records show that Thompson was released from a prison there earlier this year after serving part of an eight-year sentence for his conviction in a 2018 hit-and-run that severely injured a woman in Montecito, California.

Minnesota court records also show he was convicted twice of fleeing police in his own state. Jail records don’t show whether he currently has an attorney.

PHOTOS: The scene of a crash involving up to five fatalities in south Minneapolis after a driver fleeing from a State Trooper t-boned another vehicle near Lake St. – Troopers said there were five victims at the scene, just off I-35W, and firefighters later confirmed the victims… pic.twitter.com/C2frQyyQis

— MN CRIME | Police/Fire/EMS (@MN_CRIME) June 17, 2023

In Friday’s crash, a state trooper first spotted a speeding driver on Interstate 35W in Minneapolis around 10 p.m., police said in a statement. The driver exited the highway before the trooper could attempt a traffic stop and crashed into another vehicle with four women and a girl inside. All five died at the scene.

Police said the driver ran from the scene. Officers searched the area before taking Thompson into custody. He was evaluated at a hospital and then booked into the jail Monday.

Minnesota court records show that Thompson is the son of former state Rep. John Thompson, of St. Paul, who was a sharp critic of police during his one term in office. The elder Thompson became a Black Lives Matter activist following the police killing of his friend, Philando Castile, in suburban St. Paul in 2016. Minnesota House Democrats expelled him from their caucus in 2021 after old allegations of domestic abuse resurfaced, following an acrimonious traffic stop in St. Paul in which he claimed he was racially profiled, and he lost his primary election last year. A working number for the father could not immediately be found.

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