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Family sues former MN state trooper for death of Olivia Flores in Rochester

By
Updated  December 15, 2024 2:51pm CST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 9

Dashcam video shows trooper's troubling driving

Dashcam videos obtained by FOX 9 show a Minnesota state trooper's troubling driving history, including four previous crashes before a deadly wreck that claimed the life of a teen girl in Rochester this past May.

The Brief

    • The family of the Owatonna teenager killed in a crash is suing the former Minnesota State Patrol trooper charged with causing it.
    • Former State Patrol Trooper Shane Roper is facing multiple charges for the crash, including manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide.
    • The former trooper was involved in other crashes before the crash that killed 18-year-old Olivia Flores.

ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - The former Minnesota state trooper who was charged in a crash that killed an 18-year-old high school student is now being sued by the victim's family. 

What's new?

What we know: The parents of the victim, Olivia Flores, say in a federal lawsuit that "former Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Shane Roper violated their daughter's constitutional rights and wrongfully caused her death."

Court documents show the civil lawsuit aims to assert that Roper "consciously disregarded the grave risk he created through his driving conduct and ultimately caused Olivia's death" as well as seek "accountability for the individuals and institutions whose actions and inaction led to Olivia's death."

READ MORE: Rochester crash involving State Patrol squad kills teen, injures 6

The fatal crash happened three weeks before Olivia was set to graduate from Owatonna High School, where she was captain of the cheerleading team.

Roper pleaded not guilty to numerous charges in Olmsted County, including second-degree manslaughter, criminal vehicular operation and reckless driving.

Background

What happened: Flores was killed outside the Apache Mall in Rochester during the early evening hours of May 18, 2024, when prosecutors allege Roper plowed into a busy intersection at a high rate of speed with no emergency lights or siren on, causing the deadly three-vehicle, chain-reaction crash. 

Investigators say a Ford Focus was westbound on 12th Street Southwest when it turned south into the mall. The Focus was then struck by a Minnesota State Patrol cruiser that was driven by Roper, which was eastbound on the same street. 

READ MORE: 'Reckless' actions of former MN trooper decried by agency leaders for fatal crash

Flores, of Owatonna, was a passenger in the Ford Focus and was killed in the crash.

Roper is no longer employed with the Minnesota State Patrol, according to a statement from the Department of Public Safety shared in September. 

A Toyota RAV4 then ended up in the ditch after the Ford Focus was pushed into it.

A total of six people, including Roper, were injured in the crash. 

Records show Roper was involved in four accidents before the fatal crash on May 18.

READ MORE: MN trooper charged in deadly crash: Dashcam video shows previous wrecks

The Source: Court documents filed in U.S. Federal District Court and past FOX 9 reporting. 

Crime and Public SafetyRoad incidentsRochesterOlmsted County