Star Tribune
Long prison term awaits man for rolling Minneapolis shootout that led to SUV hitting, killing teen
A long prison term awaits a man who admitted to his part in a rolling gun battle on a downtown Minneapolis street that resulted in one of the two vehicles hitting and killing a teenager standing at the corner with her scooter.
Christopher L. Walker, 35, of Fridley, pleaded guilty this week in Hennepin County District Court to third-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder in connection with the late-night feud in the North Loop on Oct. 6, 2021, that killed Autumn Rose Merrick, 18, of Minneapolis, who was riding a scooter after leaving work.
The plea agreement between the County Attorney’s Office and the defense calls for Walker to receive a term ranging from 21 ¾ to 24 ¼ years, with two-thirds of the time spent in prison and the balance on supervised release. Sentencing by Judge Juan Hoyos is scheduled for March 18.
Co-defendant Marvel G. Williams, 35, of St. Paul, was sentenced in March to a term of 24 ¼ years after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a gun possession count.
According to the charges:
Police responded to the sound of gunfire shortly after 11 p.m. near N. 5th Street and 6th Avenue, where officers soon saw a black Range Rover speeding into the intersection and then heard a loud crash. The Range Rover hit a light pole and caught fire. The other vehicle, a silver Dodge Durango, rammed into a building.
Walker, Williams and another person in the Range Rover were seriously hurt.
A friend with Merrick said the two of them were riding scooters to the Holiday gas station at that intersection and standing on the corner where the Durango sped toward them. The friend said the Durango hit Merrick, pushed her into a building and left her trapped beneath the vehicle. Officers saw two bullet holes in the Durango.
Video surveillance from a nearby business appeared to show the Range Rover chasing the Durango just before they crashed.
Also this week, the driver of the Durango, 37-year-old Larvell Elmore, of St. Peter, Minn., was sentenced to a five-year term after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a gun while being a felon.
Elmore explained in October, when he entered his plea in writing, that “[I] was driving down the street and someone started shooting [at] me. [I] tried to get away, crashed my car and was hospitalized. The police searched my car and found an inoperable firearm.”
About 50 Ukrainian refugees have signed up to donate blood on Saturday in Minneapolis as a way to give thanks to Americans for welcoming them to this country and for support in the face of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
The donated blood will then be given to the Children’s Hospital of Minnesota.
The Ukrainian American Community Center, located at 301 NE Main St. in Minneapolis, has organized the event. The blood drive will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, said Iryna Petrus, community outreach manager at the center.
“It’s a sign of gratitude to Americans for supporting Ukraine and saving children’s lives in Ukraine,” said Yosyf Sabir, speaking on behalf of the blood drive.
It’s also a way to say “thank you to the United States for welcoming us so warmly,” said Petrus. She said there will be a program at 10 a.m. Saturday when several leaders of the Ukrainian American Community Center will speak. She said the center is hopeful that Ukrainian groups in other parts of North America will do similar blood drives.
Those who are unable to give blood have been asked to donate cash, which will be used to purchase tourniquets that will sent to Ukraine to be used by persons who have been injured in the war. Every $50 raised will purchase one hemostatic tourniquet, the Ukrainian Center said in a news release.
If approved, that approach would drop the district’s fund balance to 6% of general fund expenditures. The current board policy is to maintain a fund balance of at least 10% of general fund expenditures.
Anoka-Hennepin’s current operating referendum brings in about $1,154 per student, but the state-allowed cap is about $2,200 per student. If increased to the cap amount, a referendum would bring in another $40 million, McIntyre said.
According to community feedback collected through surveys and community meetings over the last month, nearly 90% of respondents said they supported a referendum. Parents and families also expressed concern about growing class sizes as a result of cuts.
The two options have already been revised based on board members’ requests to reduce cuts that would mean fewer teachers at schools, McIntyre said.
At one point in the discussion, the district floated changes to middle and high school class schedules to save money, but that was removed after board member feedback. At the board’s meeting last month, several board members thanked district staff for transparency about potential cuts and responsiveness to board and community feedback.
“I would encourage people to keep asking questions,” Board Member Michelle Langenfeld said at the September board meeting, “because as we unfold more information, the opportunity becomes greater for us to make the most informed decision under these very, very difficult circumstances.”
On Monday morning, contract workers began snipping razor wire and removing it from fencing that was propped atop concrete barriers along the perimeter of the former Third Precinct police station, which was set ablaze during the uprising over George Floyd’s police killing.
Finally, the concrete barricades will come down, after 4.5 years. As private security guards looked on, contractors began removing the security measures put in place to secure the building at 3000 Minnehaha Av. after it became a focal point of protests.
For the past three years, Third Precinct police officers have been based out of a city building in downtown Minneapolis, with plans to eventually bring them back to a south Minneapolis Community Safety Center just down the street at 2633 Minnehaha Av.
What to do with the former police station – home to what has been called a “playground” for renegade cops – has been the subject of heated debate, with the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey at odds.
While the city debated its future, some conservatives jumped at the chance to use the charred building as a backdrop to hold press conferences and news reports in which they blasted the city and its leaders. Most recently, vice presidential nominee JD Vance made a campaign stop in front of the building earlier this month to blast his opponent, Gov. Tim Walz, for his handling of the 2020 riots and portray Minneapolis as a city overrun with crime.
GOP vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance speaks outside the former Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct building in Minneapolis on Oct. 14. (Leila Navidi)
After that, several council members expressed frustration at the city’s failure to clean up the site. Despite signs saying “cleanup efforts are underway,” concrete barriers, fencing and razor wire remained all summer.
Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said earlier this month that the blight makes people feel uncared for and gives opportunists a backdrop to manipulate the scene for political gain.
Council Member Linea Palmisano blamed some of her council colleagues for the delays, accusing some members of being “desperate for any objection” to Frey’s proposal. The council passed a resolution saying that the building should not be used for any law enforcement functions again. Palmisano called it disgraceful that the building remains, scarred and secured, over four years later.
