Woman dead, 3 others hurt after suspect drives into protesters in Uptown
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - One person was killed and three others were injured when someone drove a car into a group of protesters in Uptown, according to police.
Protesters started gathering Sunday night at the parking ramp where Winston Smith Jr. was shot and killed by a U.S. Marshals task force on June 3, demanding charges against law enforcement in the deadly shooting. According to the Minneapolis Police Department, around 11:39 p.m., officers who were monitoring the protest with cameras saw a Jeep Cherokee drive into the group of protesters, striking multiple people.
DJ Hooker, a local organizer who witnessed the incident, recalled seeing the driver, who was already going highway speeds, speed up as he approached the barricades the protesters had put in place to block the intersection.
Reports from the scene say the group grabbed the driver from the vehicle and struck them multiple times.
Additional police arrived, along with ambulances who took two victims to the hospital, one who was in very critical condition.
That victim, a woman identified as 31-year-old Deona Marie, later died from her injuries.
Suspect pulled from car by protesters after driving into crowd in Uptown, killing woman
Warning: This video contains some potentially disturbing scenes. A woman was killed and three other people were injured after a driver plowed into a group of people protesting the law enforcement killing of Winston Smith in Uptown, Minneapolis Sunday night. Credit: @afrodisiac.jpg via Storyful
"She wanted something to matter and she wanted Black lives to matter and for this all to stop," Deona's mother, Deb Kenney, said of why her daughter was at the protest that night.
Kenney said this was an important week for Deona, who was about to celebrate her 32nd birthday as well as one year of sobriety when she was killed. She said she hopes her daughter's death will empower others to move forward and continue to fight for justice for victims of law enforcement violence.
"We will scream her name for the rest of my days," Kenney said. "We will continue to pound the ground and to make a fight for my daughter and for everyone else that she impacted and for why she was doing that impact."
Two additional victims sought medical attention from area hospitals overnight, according to police. All three victims injured in the incident have non-life-threatening injuries.
Family of woman killed while protesting in Uptown speaks
The family of Deona Marie Knajdek, the woman who was killed Sunday night while protesting the death of Winston Smith Jr. in Uptown, spoke on Monday, calling for her death to empower others to keep fighting to make their voices heard. Knajdek died after a driver plowed through a crowd of protesters in an SUV. Three other people were injured.
Police took the suspect into custody at the scene. They are being treated at a nearby hospital. According to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, the driver has been arrested.
The motive for the incident is still under investigation, but police said drugs and alcohol may have played a factor.
Witness recounts moment SUV drove into group of protesters in Uptown
DJ Hooker, an organizer with Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar Clark, was among the group of people protesting the law enforcement killing of Winston Smith Jr. in Uptown Sunday night when a driver drove their SUV into the crowd. Hooker recalled seeing the driver, who was already going highway speeds, speed up as they approached the barricades protesters had set up at the intersection.
2 arrested after group protesters block intersection
A small group of protesters blocked Lake Street early Monday morning following the deadly incident. The FOX 9 crew at the scene saw someone with a gun open fire after a confrontation with a driver. They were yelling at drivers to go somewhere else, saying a woman was killed there.
About 15 minutes later, at least five Minneapolis police squad cars rolled up with weapons drawn. The suspect seen with a handgun took off running, but was quickly apprehended. At least two people were taken into custody.