Derrick Thompson convicted of federal charges related to crash that killed 5 in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — The son of a former Minnesota state representative was convicted Friday on federal charges connected to a crash in Minneapolis last year that killed five young women.
Derrick Thompson was found guilty of one count of possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota. Thompson also faces state charges of criminal vehicular homicide and third-degree murder.
Thompson's federal sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
The fatal crash occurred in June 2023. According to a criminal complaint, a driver later identified as Thompson sped off of Interstate 35W at the Lake Street exit, ran a red light and slammed into a car carrying five people, killing all of them. Thompson was arrested nearby.
Inside the car Thompson was allegedly driving, authorities found a loaded handgun with an extended magazine, 2,000-plus fentanyl pills, cocaine, MDMA and other paraphernalia, prompting federal prosecution. Thompson has multiple previous felony convictions, the attorney's office said, which prohibits him from having a gun or ammunition.
Prosecutors offered Thompson a plea deal in his state case in August, at which point he was only charged with criminal vehicular homicide. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office added murder charges in September, saying Thompson's "lengthy record of dangerous driving, the trail of devastation he's left in his wake, and his conduct in this case" warranted them. His state case is scheduled to go to trial in February, according to court records.
Derrick Thompson is the son of former Democratic Minnesota state Rep. John Thompson, who served a single, tumultuous term representing St. Paul's District 67A before he lost re-election in a landslide to Liz Lee in 2022.
