ST PAUL, Minn. — The State of Minnesota is denying a request by a Twin Cities activist group to launch an independent investigation into the fatal high-speed crash that claimed the lives of five promising young women.
Prosecutors have filed 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide against Derrick John Thompson, accused of exiting I-94 at high speed after spotting a state trooper and crashing into another vehicle at the intersection of Lake Street and 2nd Ave. at an estimated 100 miles per hour. The collision claimed the lives of Siham Adan Odhowa, 19, Sahra Liban Gesaade, 20, Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali, 17, Sagal Burhaan Hersi, 19, and Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, 20.
An automatic handgun with an extended clip and narcotics were recovered from the rented SUV Thompson was driving, and officers on the scene said he showed signs of impairment. The results of toxicology tests have not come back yet.
Following the crash, Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR) executive director Jaylani Hussein called a press conference to question the version of events and facts forwarded by law enforcement and call for an independent investigation. Specifically, Hussein called information about which agencies are investigating certain parts of the case "confusing," and questioned law enforcement's assertion that the state trooper was not pursuing Thompson.
In a letter to Hussein dated June 26, Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson denied the request for an independent investigation, saying the department has "confidence in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and United States Attorney’s Office, both of which have reviewed the full incident for the criminal charges."
Jacobson also told Hussein that the state is in "full compliance" with the investigation into the fatal crash, and insisted that all of the State Patrol's evidence has been submitted to and reviewed by both the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and the Minneapolis Police Department. The only thing not yet completed and submitted is the crash reconstruction report, which typically takes longer to complete.
Finally, Commissioner Jacobson says that the criminal complaint issued against Thompson by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office "clearly states that Derrick Thompson was not being pursued."
"There will be a thorough review of this entire incident, from the moment the trooper’s attention was drawn to the vehicle Mr. Thompson was driving, to his arrest after fleeing on foot," Jacobson wrote.
Thompson is charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide for each of five lives lost in the crash. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is promising to seek a separate sentence for each life lost. With a maximum recommended sentence of 10 years in prison for each count, the defendant could be received a 100-year sentence if a judge imposed them consecutively.
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