Kare11
Judge grants Chauvin access to test new theory about Floyd’s death
The ex-Minneapolis Police Officer was convicted of killing George Floyd in 2020, sparking worldwide protests and reckoning over racial injustice.
MINNEAPOLIS — The ex-officer convicted of killing George Floyd in 2020 is challenging his federal conviction and is asking the court to let his defense team test a new theory about how Floyd could have died.
Floyd, 46, died in May 2020 after ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with a knee on Floyd’s neck as the Black man repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. The killing, captured on bystander video, sparked protests in 2020 as part of a worldwide reckoning over racial injustice.
Chauvin is making a longshot bid to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence shows he didn’t cause Floyd’s death. According to a motion, Chauvin is arguing his attorney Eric Nelson gave ineffective counsel.
According to the judge’s order, Nelson was reached out to by a doctor who said it was his opinion Floyd died “due to a catecholamine crisis.” Nelson did not consult with Chauvin on this issue and the opinion was not tested, the order says.
Now, Chauvin is asking the court to have tests performed that could support the doctor’s opinion. The tests will require access to Floyd’s preserved heart tissue slides and photographs, along with other fluids. A judge has authorized these tests be done.
If Chauvin is unsuccessful at overturning his federal conviction, he won’t be released until 2038.
Kare11
Moorhead Police ask for help locating endangered missing 17-year-old
Melissa Barrett is 5-foot-2, 100 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt and black pants.
MOORHEAD, Minn. — Moorhead Police are asking for help locating an endangered teen who hasn’t been seen in 30 days.
Melissa Barrett, 17, was last seen in West Fargo, North Dakota in mid-November. Officials describe her as 5-foot-2, 100 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt and black pants.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Moorhead Police Department at (701)-451-7660.
*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Kare11
Minneapolis crash leaves 2 dead, teen waiting for bus injured
Three people were hurt and two are dead in a crash in north Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS — Two women are dead and two people have severe injuries after a crash in Minneapolis that also left a teen waiting for the bus to school injured.
It happened at the intersection of N 26th Avenue and N Emerson Avenue shortly before 10:30 a.m. Monday. Police say a car going north on N Emerson collided with a vehicle going east on N 26th. The vehicle on N 26th “veered off the road” and into the bus shelter, police said, hitting the teen. A KARE 11 photographer on the scene could see the vehicle flipped on its side against the bus shelter.
According to the Minneapolis Police Dept., one of the women in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was extricated from the vehicle and taken to the hospital where she died. The driver and passenger of the car driving on N Emerson were also taken to the hospital, with police describing their injuries as “potentially life-threatening.”
The teen was also taken to the hospital and police say he is expected to survive.
A woman who identified herself by her first name Candy spoke to KARE 11 after the crash, saying people often drive at high speeds in this area and go through lights at this particular intersection. She said she’s been rear-ended just a block away from where this crash took place and thinks more patrols in the area would help stop dangerous driving.
“You gotta always wait, even if the light’s green, wait because they’re gonna hit y’all,” she said.
Police Cheif Brian O’Hara said the cause of the crash is still being investigated, but speed is “likely a contributing factor.”
“I want to emphasize the importance for every driver to drive at safe speeds and stay hyper-focused and engaged while operating a motor vehicle,” he said in a press release.
Kare11
Vandals target Minneapolis synagogue with antisemitic graffiti
Police are reviewing security camera footage to find those responsible for spray-painting two swastikas at Temple Israel’s entrance.
MINNEAPOLIS — Members of a Minneapolis synagogue arrived Monday to discover their building had been targeted by an act of antisemitic vandalism.
Two swastikas were spray-painted at the entrance to Temple Israel.
“It is heartbreaking to see such a hateful image directly underneath the words emblazoned above our doors, words that have guided us for generations: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples,'” Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman said in a letter to Temple Israel members. “Temple has always been a sacred space, a welcoming place to all who enter with a spirit of community and peace.”
Zimmerman said Minneapolis police are reviewing the Temple’s security camera footage, and the Temple’s own security team remains on alert.
“I am proud of our Temple community, and of standing up for our Jewish values even in difficult times,” Rabbi Zimmerman added.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who attends Temple Israel, said he supports MPD in its efforts to find those “responsible for this hateful act.”
“These Nazi symbols were placed on my synagogue, where Minneapolis Jews congregate and deserve to feel safe,” Frey said in a statement posted to social media. “We don’t back down to fear, we stand strong, proud of who we are, and I know that Minneapolis – a city of inclusivity and love – stands with us.”
Temple Israel is home to one of the ten largest Jewish congregations in the country.