Killing of Deona Knajdek

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Killing of Deona Knajdek
Part of 2020–2022 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest
Winston Smith Protests, Minneapolis, June 13, 2021 - Vehicle drives through protesters, killing 1 (51245959346) (cropped).jpg
The secured crime scene of the attack
LocationMinneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates44°56′53.6701″N 93°17′51.3492″W / 44.948241694°N 93.297597000°W / 44.948241694; -93.297597000Coordinates: 44°56′53.6701″N 93°17′51.3492″W / 44.948241694°N 93.297597000°W / 44.948241694; -93.297597000
DateJune 13, 2021
11:39 p.m (CDT)
Attack type
Vehicle-ramming attack
WeaponsJeep Cherokee
Deaths1
Injured4 (including the driver)
Perpetrators1
Charges
  • Second degree murder
  • Assault with a deadly weapon

On June 13, 2021, a man drove a car into a crowd of demonstrators who had gathered as a part of the ongoing Uptown Minneapolis unrest, killing Deona Knajdek and injuring three others. That evening, demonstrators had blocked the intersection of West Lake Street and Girard Avenue.[1][2] At approximately 11:39 p.m. CDT, a man in a Jeep Cherokee drove into the crowd at a high speed, striking a parked vehicle that had been used to block off the intersection to traffic, which then collided with protesters.[2][3][4] On June 16, the alleged driver, Nicholas D. Kraus, was charged with second-degree intentional murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon in relation to the crash, after allegedly telling investigators that he had accelerated towards the crowd in an attempt to clear the barricades that were protecting protesters.[5] Kraus is scheduled to be tried in March 2022.[6]

Background[]

See also: Killing of Winston Boogie Smith and 2021 Uptown Minneapolis unrest

A series of protests and civil unrest in Minneapolis in the United States began on June 3, 2021, as a reaction to the police killing of Winston Boogie Smith. Smith, a 32-year-old black American man,[7] allegedly shot at law enforcement officers[8][9] as they attempted to apprehend him. Police fired approximately twelve rounds at Smith, killing him.[10][11] There was no known video evidence of the encounter, and a passenger in Smith's car and protesters disputed the law enforcement account of events.[10]

Civil unrest began in the Uptown district on June 3 with two nights of protests that included looting and rioting.[12] Protests were held over subsequent days with demonstrators periodically occupying a street intersection near where Smith was killed.[13]

Vehicle-ramming attack[]

The evening of June 13, demonstrators blocked the intersection of West Lake Street and Girard Avenue for an event, with some playing volleyball and lawn games.[1][2] At approximately 11:39 p.m. CDT, a man in a Jeep Cherokee drove into the crowd at a high speed, striking a parked vehicle that had been used to block off the intersection to traffic, which then collided with protesters.[2][3][4] One protester was killed, and three others suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.[2][3] Demonstrators detained the driver until police arrived at the scene.[1][2] The suspect was treated at a hospital and then booked into a Hennepin County Jail that night on probable cause of criminal vehicular homicide, driving on a cancelled license, and providing false information to police.[14]

Victims[]

Family of the deceased identified her as Deona M. Knajdek[15][16] (some reports also identified her as Deona Erickson[1] or Deona Marie[2]), a 31-year-old woman from Minneapolis.[16] According to her family, the car that was struck belonged to Knajdek, and she had parked it there as a blockade to protect protesters.[15][17] Her family described her as an active supporter of Black Lives Matter and social activists on issues of police brutality and gun violence.[18][19] Knajdek was a program manager for The Cottages Group, a home health care provider. She had two daughters, who were 11 and 13 at the time of her death.[19] Knajdek had participated in daily protests over the killing of Winston Smith since June 3.[20]

Three other people were injured in the collision. One protester with non-life-threatening injuries and Knajdek were transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance. Two others later sought medical treatment for non-critical injuries related to the crash.[21]

Suspect[]

Nicholas D. Kraus, a 35-year-old man from Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the suspected driver in the attack.[14][4] Kraus has five prior convictions for driving under the influence spanning 2008–2016, and his license had been canceled in 2013 for safety concerns.[22] He also has prior convictions for driving without a valid license, assault, failure to have insurance, and providing a false name to police.[5]

Investigation and charges[]

People gather around piled flowers, candles, and signs memorializing Knajdek
Memorial for Knajdek, June 15, 2021

Kraus allegedly made statements to police in which he repeatedly admitted to operating the vehicle.[14] When questioned, he reportedly gave "illogical and irrelevant answers", which led police to believe he was intoxicated.[14][5] Kraus later allegedly admitted to investigators that he had intentionally accelerated towards the demonstrators in hopes of clearing the barricades that had been placed to protect the protestors.[5]

According to search warrants filed in court on June 15, officials believed that footage captured by a closed-circuit camera appeared to show that the car's brake lights did not activate prior to the crash.[23] Three hours before the June 13 vehicle attack, a demonstrator had climbed a pole and spray painted a surveillance camera located at the intersection of West Lake Street and Girard Avenue. Officials believed the camera would have captured "crucial evidence" about crash, and law enforcement sought the public's assistance to identify a suspect who painted over the camera.[24] A witness reported that the car seemed to accelerate as it approached the demonstration.[22] Minneapolis police said in a statement shortly after the attack that they believed that the driver may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol,[15][4] but field sobriety tests were not performed due to his injuries.[14]

On June 16, Kraus was charged with second-degree intentional murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon in relation to the crash.[5] Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement that Kraus had been intoxicated during the attack and that he accelerated his vehicle rather than braking.[5][25] Kraus was held in jail on a $1 million bond. He made his first court appearance on June 17 in Hennepin County District Court and was ordered by the judge to under go a psychological evaluation to determine if he was competent to stand trial.[25]

Trial[]

Kraus was found competent to stand trial after a court proceeding on September 10. The court set a October 6 hearing to consider if Kraus was mentally competent at the time of the vehicle crash, but the matter could be revisited at a future date or be determined by a jury at trial.[26] Kraus’ trial is scheduled to begin on March 21, 2022.[6]

Memorial and funeral[]

Hundreds of mourners gathered at the site of the attack for a vigil on the evening of June 14, and demonstrations continued that evening and in the following days.[27] Knajdek's funeral was held on June 21 in her hometown of Rush City, Minnesota.[18]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Sepic, Matt; Nelson, Tim; Collins, Jon (June 14, 2021). "1 dead, 3 hurt after driver plows into protesters in Uptown Minneapolis". Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Woman dead, 3 others hurt after suspect drives into protesters in Uptown". KMSP-TV. June 14, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Albeck-Ripka, Livia (June 14, 2021). "Woman Dies After Driver Hits Crowd in Minneapolis". The New York Times (in American English). ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Chirbas, Kurt; Elbaum, Rachel (June 14, 2021). "Woman killed after car drives into protesters in Minneapolis". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Walsh, Paul (June 16, 2021). "Unlicensed driver charged with murder in killing of Uptown protester". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b "Nicholas Kraus, Accused Of Fatally Plowing Into Uptown Protesters, To Stand Trial In March". WCCO-TV. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Bellware, Kim (June 5, 2021). "A Black Minneapolis man was shot by a U.S. Marshals task force. Investigators say there's no video evidence". The Washington Post (in American English). ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  8. ^ "UPDATE: 9 arrested in overnight vandalism, looting in Uptown; suspect said to have fired weapon at police". KSTP-TV. June 4, 2021. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  9. ^ Wiita, Tommy (June 4, 2021). "Suspect identified in Uptown police shooting; family demands video evidence". KSTP-TV. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Olson, Rochelle; Jany, Libor; Rao, Maya (June 4, 2021). "BCA: Man shot and killed by police fired from inside vehicle; no footage of incident". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "BCA: Man fired weapon before he was shot, killed by law enforcement in Uptown". KARE-11 (in American English). June 3, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  12. ^ Brown, Kyle (June 5, 2021). "27 people arrested after second night of unrest in Uptown". KSTP-TV. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  13. ^ Sepic, Matt; Nelson, Tim; Collins, Jon (June 14, 2021). "1 dead, 3 hurt after driver plows into protesters in Uptown Minneapolis". Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Man jailed in fatal crash at Minneapolis rally has past DWIs". AP News. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ a b c Walsh, Paul; Reinan, John (June 14, 2021). "Driver hits Uptown protesters in Minneapolis, killing 31-year-old woman and injuring others". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Bellware, Kim (June 14, 2021). "Woman killed when driver plows into crowd protesting U.S. Marshals' shooting of Black man". The Washington Post (in American English). ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  17. ^ "Driver Plows Into Protesters In Uptown; Woman Killed Identified As Deona Knajdek". WCCO-TV (in American English). June 14, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Hyatt, Kim (June 21, 2021). "Protester killed in Uptown remembered at funeral as 'one of the greatest superheroes'". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Walsh, Paul (June 14, 2021). "Driver hits Uptown protesters in Minneapolis, killing one and injuring another". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  20. ^ Hyatt, Kim (June 21, 2021). "Protester killed in Uptown remembered at funeral as 'one of the greatest superheroes'". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  21. ^ Simon, Alexandra (June 15, 2021). "Woman killed, 3 others hurt after driver hits car shielding crowd of protesters in Uptown". KARE-11 (in American English). Retrieved June 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ a b Weniger, Deanna (June 16, 2021). "Police identify St. Paul man who drove into protesters in Minneapolis, killing a 31-year-old woman". St. Paul Pioneer Press (in American English). Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  23. ^ Sepic, Matt (June 16, 2021). "Protesters continue barricading Lake Street to remember 2 killed". Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  24. ^ "Police seek person who spray-painted over city camera they say would have captured fatal crash at Winston Smith protest". Star Tribune. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Nicholas Kraus Makes 1st Court Appearance In Uptown Protester's Death, Will Be Examined For Competency". WCCO-TV. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Olson, Rochelle (September 10, 2021). "Uptown driver who killed, injured protesters in June found competent for trial". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  27. ^ Walsh, Paul (June 15, 2021). "Driver hits Uptown protesters in Minneapolis, killing one and injuring another". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.

Further reading[]

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