Lake Street crash victim’s families grieve, call for ‘independent investigation’

Lake Street crash victims want investigation

Friends and family of the five women killed in a crash on Lake Street after Derrick Thompson crashed into their vehicle shared their grief Monday, while also calling for an independent investigation into what led up to the event.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - On Monday friends and family of the five young women killed more than a week ago in a crash on Lake Street in Minneapolis spoke about their grief following their deaths, while also calling for an independent investigation into exactly what happened.

Since the crash Derrick Thompson, 27, has been charged in their deaths, but community leaders want an independent investigator to see if law enforcement response played a role.

Thompson is charged with 10 state felonies for the deaths, plus federal gun and drug charges after being accused of going 95 mph on I-35W in a rented SUV before exiting at Lake Street and plowing into the young women’s car.

During the event Monday at Dar Al Farooq in Bloomington, family and friends of the five young women who lost their lives together bared emotions of grief still raw. Their funerals, one week ago, were attended by more than a 1,000 people.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling for the governor to appoint an independent investigator into law enforcement’s role.
In addition, community leaders have since also called for a ban on high-speed pursuits.

The state patrol says in charges that Thompson was already going a high rate of speed, and the trooper who clocked him was trying to catch up to him, unable to initiate a chase.