Derrick Thompson Faces Third Degree Murder Charges in Fatal High Speed Crash

(KNSI) – A 27-year-old Minneapolis man has been hit with five new charges stemming from a high speed crash last year.

Derrick John Thompson was already facing ten counts of criminal vehicular homicide after prosecutors say in June of 2023, he exited Interstate 35W and was driving 95 miles an hour down a Minneapolis street before slamming into a car, killing all five women inside. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty Monday filed five charges of third degree murder against Thompson.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the five victims as 20-year-old Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, 17-year-old Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali, 20-year-old Sahra Liban Gesaade, 19-year-old Sagal Burhaan Hersi, and 19-year-old Siham Adan Odhowa. They had reportedly just left the Karmel Mall, where they had henna applied in preparation for a friend’s wedding.

According to court records, a Minnesota State Trooper sitting at I-35W and 46th Street saw a Cadillac Escalade driving at a high rate of speed. The radar clocked the SUV at 95 miles an hour. Thompson was traveling in the far left lane and weaving before cutting across all of the lanes of traffic and exiting the freeway abruptly at Lake Street. The trooper said Thompson was driving so fast he didn’t have time to turn on his emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop. After the crash, Thompson ran from the scene but was picked up at a restaurant nearby after bystanders called the police. He was found sitting on the curb in the parking lot and had injuries consistent with being in a car accident. He was bleeding from a laceration on his forehead, had blood on his hands and clothing, and was sweating profusely. Investigators asked about how he got hurt, and Thompson initially told officers, “I cut myself. This is old. This is an old cut.” Police pressed him, saying his injuries looked recent. Thompson then told officers that he was injured when he “fell” earlier in the night.

According to a search warrant, investigators recovered a Glock .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine from the wreckage of the SUV, along with 2,169 fentanyl pills, a plastic bag containing 14 grams of powder fentanyl, 13 MDMA pills, 35 grams of cocaine and a digital scale, state and federal prosecutors said. As a convicted felon, Thompson is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. He could face life behind bars on the federal charges.

Thomspon has a prior felony conviction from a 2018 hit-and-run while fleeing police in California. In that case, the victim was left in a coma for several months and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Thompson also allegedly fled the scene of that crash. Police say they found 17 pounds of marijuana and $20,000 cash in the trunk of the car. Thompson was tracked down in St. Paul and taken into custody. He pled guilty in Santa Barbara County court and was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2020 but was released early.

We contacted the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for information about how Thompson obtained a Minnesota driver’s license. Our calls and emails were not returned.

Derrick Thompson is the son of former state Representative John Thompson.

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