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Driver Kills Peaceful Protester at Minneapolis Vigil for Black Man Killed by Police

HeadlineJun 15, 2021

In Minneapolis, a driver slammed his car into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators who had gathered Sunday at a vigil against police brutality, killing one person and injuring three others. The crash killed 31-year-old Deona Marie Erickson, a mother of two small daughters. Police arrested the driver, Nicholas Kraus, on suspicion of vehicular homicide. He’s a 35-year-old white man with a history of domestic violence and at least five convictions for driving while intoxicated.

Protesters had gathered to demand justice for Winston Smith, a 32-year-old Black father of three who was shot dead in Minneapolis on June 3 by members of a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Minnesota officials said Smith fired a gun at officers, who returned fire, striking him multiple times. Police say there is no video of Smith’s killing. A woman who was a passenger in the car disputed the police account, saying, through her attorneys, that she never saw a gun on Smith and never saw one in his vehicle.

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