A bicyclist died after being struck by a car in Rosemount, Minn. (FOX 9)
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minneapolis man is now facing charges in a deadly bicycle crash in Rosemount last year in which investigators now say the suspect was driving on the shoulder when he hit and killed a priest.
Trejean Curry, age 26, is charged with a count of criminal vehicular homicide for the deadly crash that killed 73-year-old Dennis "Denny" Dempsey. Dempsey was riding his bike in the area of County Road 42 and 145th Street West in Rosemount on October 25, 2021, when he was struck and killed by a vehicle.
Father Dempsey, a Catholic priest who led the Church of Risen Savior, was thrown from the bike and was found by emergency crews lying unresponsive in a ditch. Dempsey was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.
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Burnsville congregation remembers priest killed in Rosemount bike crash
A Burnsville congregation is mourning the loss of a Father Denny Dempsey, a Catholic priest who died after he was struck and killed by a motorist while riding his bicycle in Rosemount on Monday. Father Dempsey led the Church of the Risen Savior, where he was remembered as a charismatic leader.
Curry was still at the scene when police arrived with the windshield of his vehicle smashed.
Prosecutors say Curry told investigators that Dempsey had swerved out in front of him while he was driving in the right lane along County Road 42. Curry told police he had been unable to move over because a vehicle had been in the lane next to him and unable to slam on his brakes because he had another vehicle behind him.
However, prosecutors say reconstruction teams with Minnesota State Patrol determined Curry had been driving on the shoulder of the road, right of the fog line.
A priest was killed after he was hit by a car while bicycling in Rosemount, Minnesota.
In a news release, Dakota County prosecutors detail:
"There were two tire skid marks from the sedan prior to the point of impact. These two skid marks and the point of impact were to the right of the solid white line, commonly known as the fog line, and were completely on the shoulder of the roadway. The skid marks traveled straight ahead until just before the point of impact, at which point they veered left towards the traffic lane.
"Based on the bicycle tire scuff mark and indentation on the vehicle’s front license plate, the tire of the bicycle made impact with the middle of the front license plate. The bicycle skid mark was located just to the left of the center of the shoulder."
Minnesota State Patrol investigators also estimated that Curry was going between 54 and 63 miles per hour prior to the crash. The speed limit on the road is 55 miles per hour.
Back in October, Father Dempsey was remembered as a devoted priest who loved biking in his free time.
"Within the first five minutes of meeting Denny, you knew he was special, but it wasn’t about him; it was about the person he was speaking to," parish trustee Dave Hutton said. "If more people in this world exhibited the love for their fellow man that Denny did, this world would be a better place."