Deona Marie, 31, was killed while two others were injured on Sunday at 11:39 PM after a vehicle drove into a crowd of protesters in Minneapolis. The city has been beset by unrest following the shooting of Winson Smith, 32, who allegedly opened fire on police officers.
The Minneapolis police claimed that they tried to arrest Winston from his vehicle for a felony gun warrant in early June. However, the woman that was riding with Smith said that he had no weapon on him.
Zachary James, 28, a protestor at the scene said, “I never seen anything that horrendous.” James informed reporters that protestors were blockading the area of the road using their own cars where he and 50 other people had been “occupying peacefully” when he heard a vehicle driving towards the group at high speed. He said the vehicle smashed into one of the protesters’ parked cars, which hit a woman, having her fly several yards into a pole. Two others were also injured.
Police confirmed the woman’s death on Twitter.
“Crash Update – overnight 2 additional people sought medical attention from area hospitals reporting they were injured in this incident. Injuries are non-life-threatening. Totals: 3 injured and 1 deceased. Not expecting further updates today,” read the tweet.
Crash Update – overnight 2 additional people sought medical attention from area hospitals reporting they were injured in this incident. Injuries are non-life-threatening. Totals: 3 injured and 1 deceased. Not expecting further updates today
— Minneapolis Police (@MinneapolisPD) June 14, 2021
According to the NY Post, the unnamed driver was yanked from his vehicle by protestors and who then began to hit him before officers took the suspect into custody.
Marie’s brother said that his sister always stood up for things that she believed in even if it put her life in danger.
“She was probably the most wonderful person you could ever imagine. She would, in the most literal sense, tear the shirt off her back to make sure someone was warm. The things she stood up for, she was willing to give her life for,” he reflected.
Another bystander spoke about the impact it has on protestors at the scene. “People are still kind of reeling from that. It’s a tragedy for sure.” He also mentioned what happened with the driver who drove into the woman. “They kind of just blocked the car in and just made sure he was held accountable.”
Officials believe that the driver was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, but it has not yet been confirmed.