How to watch: Ceremony for 5 young women killed in south Minneapolis crash
MINNEAPOLIS -- Five young women killed in a crash in south Minneapolis last week will be memorialized and laid to rest Monday afternoon.
Sabiriin Ali (17), Sahra Gesaade (20), Salma Abdikadir (20), Sagal Hersi (19) and Siham Adam (17) were in a vehicle going through the intersection of Lake Street and Second Avenue Friday night when a speeding driver slammed into them. All five were killed.
The Dar Al Farooq Center in Bloomington is expecting more than 1,000 people to attend an open prayer for the community at 1:30 p.m. Monday. Following that, the five victims will be buried at the Garden of Eden Islamic Cemetery in Burnsville.
How to watch the ceremony
- What: Community memorializes five friends killed in crash
- Date: June 19, 2023
- Time: 1:30 p.m. CT
- Location: Dar Al Farooq Center in Bloomington
- Watch: Live on CBS News Minnesota on Pluto TV or on the CBS News app on your phone or connected TV.
It's been a heavy few days as the community grapples with this loss. Faith leaders credit the strength of the Muslim community and the Minnesota community.
People have been showing up in throngs Monday morning, including leaders from Edina Public Schools -- from where two of the victims graduated recently -- to pay their respects. The victims and their families are pillars of the mosque, and their death leaves a huge void.
Edina Public Schools superintendent Stacey Stanley promised the district will support the families impacted as best as they can, as younger siblings will continue to attend their schools.
"I'm a grandmother, I'm a mother and I can't imagine what it would be like to lose one of my children or one of my grandchildren in such a senseless way. And so I'm hurting. My heart is hurting. I hurt for the family and just really want to be here to support them," Stanley said.
After the community prayer session, the group will be bussed to the Garden of Eden Islamic Center in Burnsville for a joint burial.
To help ease the burden for the families impacted, the mosque is raising money through an online campaign. So far, they've raised more than $350,000.
As for the driver who caused the crash, WCCO is still waiting to hear more from police, but Minneapolis officials say that the suspected driver who hit the women's car had been drinking. Officers said the driver tried to run away from the crash but was arrested nearby. He is currently hospitalized; police say they will not identify him until he is released from the hospital.
