Five young Minnesota women and teens were killed while preparing for a friend’s wedding the next day when a speeding SUV violently crashed into their car Friday, according to authorities and community leaders.
The five young women were on their way home from the mall Friday night when the car they were in was slammed into, according to reports, with all five pronounced dead at the scene.
The five victims, identified Sunday as Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Adam, 19, were getting henna applied and doing other shopping ahead of their friend’s Saturday nuptials, the Star Tribune reported.
“They weren’t doing anything wrong,” Khalid Omar, who leads the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center where the five attended, told the newspaper.
“They were just getting ready for their friend’s wedding.”
Three of the women were reportedly cousins and another was an extended relative.
One of the victims had just graduated from high school. The other four were all in college.
They all lived in Minnesota.
The SUV driver was allegedly going more than 40 mph above the posted speed limit of 55 mph on the highway shortly after 10 p.m.
The driver got off an exit before a state trooper could pull the car over, Minnesota Department of Public Safety said, according to the Star Tribune.
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The driver then zoomed through a red light before colliding with the five women in the other car, state police said.
Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman told the newspaper the crash was so severe it pushed the women’s vehicle 50 feet.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “These girls had a lot of life ahead of them.”
The driver, who sources told the Star Tribune is Derrick John Thompson, 27, was injured from the crash.
He tried to flee on foot, but was later arrested.
Thompson is the son of former state rep. John Thompson, who did not return messages from the news outlet seeking comment.
The driver was taken to the hospital and tested for drugs and alcohol, police said. He’s still in the hospital.
His license was reinstated just months ago in March 2023 after he had numerous convictions for driving with a revoked or suspended license, the Star Tribune reported, citing police records.
And online fundraiser has raised more than $300,000 for the victims’ family.
“These are pearls of our community. They leave a big void,” Omar reportedly said. “All five of them had bright futures.”
