MINNEAPOLIS – The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office says a 6-year-old girl, identified as Blessings McLurain-Gray, was killed when a driver they were chasing struck the car she was in during a pursuit Friday the evening.
The driver, identified by a Minneapolis police spokesman as Hakim Waheed Muhammad, collided with a car carrying five passengers while fleeing from police. Another passenger in the car, a 15-year-old, is still in hospital.
Mohammed was wanted in connection with the killing of 29-year-old Devan Dampier on April 7.
On July 11, before being arrested, Mohammed was charged with Dampier’s murder. Charging documents allege that Muhammad shot and killed Dampier after an argument in Minneapolis.
Dampier was a 29-year-old father of two. He had a third child on the way when he was killed in April. @WCCO #WCCO pic.twitter.com/WrRXNfoxE4
— Adam Duxter (@AdamDuxter) July 16, 2022
Brooklyn Center police said they received information that Muhammad was in the city around 4:20 p.m. Friday night. Although police have not said how the chase began, they say at one point Muhammad reached speeds of 70 miles per hour through residential areas.
Brooklyn Center officers tried both the use of spike strips and the assistance of a patrol helicopter, police said in a statement. Neither effort was successful. Minutes later, Muhammad crashed at the intersection of 53rd Avenue and Humboldt Avenue — crossing the border of Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center.
Devan Dampier’s mother quickly reached the scene.
“Looking at the remains was just disbelief,” said “That someone else now, their family was affected by his recklessness.”
Neighbors and community activists expressed disappointment that police would follow the chase through a residential area.
“I can understand people’s anger at the police chasing a suspect because then they’re putting other people’s lives at risk,” Foss said. “But in the end, the man chose to take the police on a high-speed chase. He was reckless. He didn’t care about anyone else, no family. Just anyone. He was just trying to get away and not deal with the consequences of his actions.”
An HCSO spokesman said the other three occupants of the vehicle hit by Muhammad have been released from the hospital. Muhammad is listed as booked into the Hennepin County Jail but is still receiving medical care, a release confirmed.
The incident is under investigation by HCSO.
Adam Duxter
Born and raised in Metro Detroit, Adam loves all things Michigan, but is excited to call Minnesota home.
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