Minneapolis Police Car Chase Leads to Death of Uninvolved Motorist

Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice

A police officer crashed into Leneal Frazier’s vehicle while chasing a suspect at high speed. Frazier later died from his injuries. Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed the murder of George Floyd, identified him as her uncle.

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Tiffany Bui reports:

A Minneapolis police officer was pursuing a carjacking and robbery suspect Tuesday morning when he hit two cars, killing a driver.

Officer Brian Cummings crashed into Leneal Frazier’s vehicle while chasing the suspect at high speed through the Camden neighborhood. Frazier later died from his injuries. The suspect escaped the police.

On Wednesday morning, friends and family members gathered at the gas station near the intersection where Frazier was killed. Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed the murder of George Floyd, identified him as her uncle.

He was the oldest of five siblings. Leneal Frazier’s brother Orlando Frazier remembers him as the family protector.

“He was the best big brother I could ever ask for,” said Frazier. “Anything I wanted, anything I needed, if he had, he'll get it for us. My brother was a protector, you know what I'm saying, like, every time we went somewhere, my brother was my bodyguard. I ain’t have to worry about nothing. And then for this to happen to him, it's just unbelievable.”

Frazier’s family says he loved to barbecue, and manned the grill during the Fourth of July.

Frazier leaves behind 6 children and a grandchild. His oldest daughter Lanesha says she wants to see the police officer arrested.

“I just don't see how my dad is gone and that man is still here. I want justice. I want him to be put away,” she said.

In 2019, the Minneapolis Police Department announced it would only allow chases for a “serious and violent felony or gross misdemeanor” or if the suspect is driving recklessly. The policy prohibits police from giving chase when it poses an unreasonable risk to officers and the public.

MPD is conducting an internal investigation to see if the officer had his lights and sirens on as required.