Killing of Deona Marie Knajdek

Deona Marie Knajdek, a 31-year-old woman from Minneapolis, was killed on the night of June 13, 2021, when a car was driven into a crowd of demonstrators at the intersection of West Lake Street and Girard Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. The demonstrators had gathered as part of ongoing protests and civil unrest that began June 3, 2021, following the police killing of Winston Boogie Smith, a 32-year-old Black man. At approximately 11:39 p.m. CDT, Nicholas Kraus, driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee, accelerated into the crowd at high speed, striking a parked vehicle — reportedly Knajdek's own car, which she had positioned as a barricade to protect protesters — which then collided with demonstrators. Knajdek was killed, and three other people sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.

According to her family, Knajdek was an active supporter of Black Lives Matter and had participated in demonstrations related to Smith's death daily since June 3. She worked as a program manager for a home health care provider called The Cottages Group and had two daughters, ages 11 and 13 at the time of her death.

Demonstrators detained Kraus at the scene, saying he had attempted to flee after the crash. He was treated at a hospital and booked into Hennepin County jail that night on preliminary charges including criminal vehicular homicide, driving on a cancelled license, and providing false information to police. Investigators later said Kraus admitted to intentionally accelerating toward the crowd in an attempt to clear the barricades, and police believed he may have been intoxicated, though field sobriety tests were not administered due to his injuries. Search warrants indicated that surveillance footage appeared to show the vehicle's brake lights did not activate before the collision.

On June 16, 2021, Kraus was formally charged with second-degree intentional murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He was held on $1 million bond and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation; he was found mentally competent to stand trial in September 2021. After multiple trial delays, Kraus pleaded guilty on October 24, 2022, to an amended charge of second-degree unintentional murder and to one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon; a second assault charge was dropped. He admitted in court that he had been under the influence of illegal narcotics that night and that he had intentionally driven his vehicle into the barricades. On November 23, 2022, Kraus was sentenced to concurrent terms of 20 years for the murder charge and 3.75 years for the assault charge.

A vigil for Knajdek drew hundreds of mourners to the site of the attack the following evening, and her funeral was held on June 21, 2021, in her hometown of Rush City, Minnesota.