Families call for independent investigation of crash that killed 5 young women in Minneapolis

By KSTPTV

(KSTP) – Families of the five young women killed in a car crash earlier this month are calling for an independent investigation of the incident.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) also spoke alongside the families at the Dar Al-Farooq Mosque in Bloomington.

CAIR Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said the families of the young women killed in the crash want the incident to be investigated by an entity from outside the state due to a state trooper’s involvement in the crash.

The crash took the lives of 17-year-old Sabiriin Ali, 20-year-old Sahra Gesaade, 20-year-old Salma Abdikadir, 19-year-old Sagal Hersi, and 19-year-old Siham Adam.

The driver who struck their vehicle, 27-year-old Derrick John Thompson, faces multiple state and federal charges related to the crash.

Law enforcement say a state trooper in the northbound lanes of I-35 by 46th Street in Minneapolis saw a Cadillac Escalade speeding around 10 p.m. the night of the crash. A spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety said the vehicle was driving more than 90 mph.

Minneapolis police say that before the trooper could initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle “immediately” exited the highway and ran a red light at the intersection of Lake Street and 2nd Avenue, where it hit the car carrying the five victims.

A criminal complaint states that Thompson then ran from the vehicle but was later arrested nearby.

Video of the news conference can be viewed below from our Twin Cities sister station, KSTP-TV.