Minneapolis Cop Drove 90 MPH Before Killing Bystander: Charges

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis police officer was driving 90 mph during a late-night pursuit before crashing and killing a bystander in July, according to investigators.

The crash killed 40-year-old Leneal Frazier, the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the woman who won an honorary Pulitzer Prize for filming the murder of George Floyd on her cell phone.

Officer Brian Cummings faces charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide. He was not in custody. Cummings' first court appearance had not yet been scheduled.

"I honestly can't believe I'm making this post right now...I'm so hurt...nothing feels real," Darnella Frazier wrote on Facebook hours after the crash. "I woke up to the most horrible news."

On the day of the crash, Mayor Jacob Frey said city leaders would look into the police pursuit policy.

While the police department's pursuit policy was updated in 2019 "to make it far more restrictive," Frey promised city leaders would review that policy again.

"The violence our city is experiencing is a public health crisis, and we will continue our work to treat it as such — that means both just and equitable law enforcement and safety solutions beyond policing," Frey added.

According to the criminal complaint, around 12:30 a.m. July 6, Cummings spotted a Kia Sportage matching the description of a stolen vehicle suspected to be involved in several thefts.

Cummings tried to pull over the car, but the Kia sped off, authorities said. Cummings pursued the vehicle in his marked squad car with sirens and lights activated, the complaint states.

The chase continued for more than 20 blocks through North Minneapolis, including residential neighborhoods.

Cummings chased the Kia at nearly 100 mph at times, authorities said. The officer was driving 90 mph as he approached the intersection of 41st Avenue North and Lyndale Avenue North, where the speed limit is 25 mph, according to investigators.

At that speed, it takes about 337 feet to come to a complete stop, the criminal complaint states.

Frazier's Jeep entered the intersection, where a green light gave him the right of way, authorities said.

Both the Kia and Cummings faced a red light, and the Kia nearly struck Frazier's Jeep going 100 mph, the criminal complaint states.

Cummings' squad car — going about 78 mph — collided with Frazier's Jeep on the driver's side at the intersection, according to investigators. Frazier was going 25 mph, authorities said.

Frazier died shortly after he was transported to the hospital.

An accident reconstruction team concluded that the "collision can be attributed to the Defendant for failure to operate his vehicle with due regard for the safety of other motorists."

Reporting from The Associated Press was used in this story.