Federal jury finds man guilty of firearms and weapons charges in crash that killed five people

After deliberating for just a few hours, a federal jury has found a man guilty of drug and weapons possession charges in connection with a crash that killed five young women in Minneapolis last summer.

On Friday, Derrick John Thompson of Brooklyn Park was found guilty of the following federal charges:

• Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl
• Illegal possession of a firearm as a felon
• Carrying a firearm during and in connection with a drug offense

The verdict came after a trial that began earlier this week. Court documents show the jury received the case shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday and finished deliberations for the day less than an hour later. They then met again on Friday at 8:30 a.m.

In the federal complaint, officials say the amount of drugs found in Thompson’s vehicle after the crash represented more than a “user amount” and was consistent with the distribution and sale of drugs. In addition, Thompson is not allowed to carry a firearm because he has a previous criminal record.

Thompson was charged in December after prosecutors filed a lawsuit over the allegations six months earlier. He was convicted of fifth-degree drug possession in 2015 and also pleaded guilty to several charges related to a 2018 hit-and-run accident in California that seriously injured a woman.

At the state level, Thompson was charged with 10 counts of criminal homicide by vehicle. Hennepin County Prosecutor Mary Moriarty previously said her office would “seek a separate sentence for each victim if Thompson is convicted.”

According to court documents, a Minnesota state trooper saw a Cadillac Escalade SUV traveling north at 95 miles per hour in the far left lane of Interstate 35W. The trooper reported that the Cadillac was weaving between lanes. Before the officer could initiate a traffic stop, the Cadillac crossed all four lanes of traffic and exited on Lake Street in Minneapolis.

The Cadillac then ran a red light at the intersection of Lake Street and Second Avenue South before crashing into a car containing five young women. They were later identified as Sabiriin Ali, Sahra Gessade, Salma Abdikadir, Sagal Hersi and Siham Adam.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says Thompson, the driver of the Cadillac, fled the accident but was later found at a nearby Taco Bell with a broken hip and a cut to his head. When asked how he sustained the injuries, Thompson told officers it was an old cut and that he had fallen earlier in the evening.

While at the scene, Minneapolis police officers found a receipt from Hertz Rental Car indicating that Thompson was the renter of the vehicle. A witness later provided law enforcement with a video of the accident, in which Thompson approaches the witness and asks him for a ride. A second witness who witnessed the accident identified Thompson in a row as the driver of the Cadillac and said they were “100 percent confident” in their identification.

According to federal prosecutors, officers searched Thompson’s rental car after the accident and found a loaded Glock pistol with an extended magazine and bags containing more than 2,100 fentanyl pills, 14 grams of fentanyl powder, 13 MDMA pills and 35 grams of cocaine.

According to court documents, Thompson rented the vehicle 24 minutes before the accident.

Minneapolis police also confirmed with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Thompson is the son of former state representative John Thompson.