Teen Who Filmed Floyd's Murder Has Distressing News

Darnella Frazier says her uncle was killed in crash while Minneapolis cops were chasing someone else
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 7, 2021 9:25 AM CDT

The teen awarded a Pulitzer Prize special citation for her recording of George Floyd's murder says her uncle has died in an interaction with police. "Minneapolis police killed my uncle ... nothing feels real," Darnella Frazier, 18, wrote Tuesday on Facebook, per NBC News, noting police "took an innocent life trying to catch someone else." A squad car carrying an officer and a K9 was heading north through an intersection, pursuing a carjacked vehicle thought to be involved in multiple robberies, when it collided with a westbound vehicle around 12:30am Tuesday, police spokesman John Elder tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune, not commenting on who had the right of way. A southbound vehicle was then struck, per WCCO. Its driver was treated at a hospital and released, as was the officer. The K9 also survived, but the other driver died at a hospital.

The Tribune describes "a mangled SUV with its driver side crumpled sitting next to a freshly toppled bus shelter" and "a minivan with a crumpled front end," its airbags deployed. A witness says one of the vehicles hit by the squad car appeared to have been "T-boned right into the bus stop." Police didn't identify the deceased, but Frazier named him as Leneal Lamont Frazier. "Another black man lost his life in the hands of the police!" she wrote, questioning why police had engaged in a high-speed chase on a residential road. Minnesota State Patrol responded to the scene and is investigating, per the Tribune. Elder says the police department will also launch an internal investigation, which will examine whether the squad car was using its emergency lights and siren, as policy requires. The pursued suspect remained at large Tuesday afternoon. (More Minneapolis stories.)

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