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Minneapolis hit and run survivor shares message of resilience

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Minneapolis hit and run survivor shares message of resilience


A hit-and-run survivor in Bloomington is back on his feet more than two years after he was almost paralyzed.

On a frigid December day in 2022, Luke Zimmer saw a woman stuck in a snowbank along I-35W South near Johnson Street northeast in Minneapolis. He stopped to help tow her out.

“Just as I thought, ‘Okay there’s a good spot, I’ve moved enough snow I can get a strap around part of the wheel,’ and I had reached back to grab the tow strap, then everything went black,” said Zimmer. “I didn’t hear anything.”

State Patrol identified the vehicle that hit him as a Toyota Sienna van. The driver took off from the scene.

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“The next thing I know, I’m lying upside down in a snowbank,” said Zimmer, who described not being able to feel his legs. “I couldn’t get up, and I couldn’t make sense of the situation. I literally had to lie there in the snow until someone could help, and that was the first time I ever remember feeling that helpless.”

The woman he stopped to help flagged down others who were driving by, including an off-duty paramedic who told him to lie still.

A GoFundMe page that was created for the family after the crash described bystanders covering Zimmer with a sleeping bag, putting hand warmers around him and talking to him as they waited for an ambulance in sub-zero wind chills.

Someone also placed a bright hat on his head.

“I wear it almost every winter just as a reminder of the kindness of strangers,” said Zimmer.

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He underwent an eight-hour surgery to repair a shattered vertebra. Extensive physical therapy followed and by the time he left the hospital three weeks later, he could walk again.

“We are just so thankful for how far we have come because we didn’t know,” said Michelle Zimmer, his wife. “I was preparing myself for him to be permanently paralyzed.”

Walking around their backyard, the Zimmers showed us their flock of chickens and ducks. They’ve started a business called Bloomington Farm and Feed, which delivers Minnesota-sourced products to customers’ doorsteps.

“It helps lower the carbon footprint, it helps improve the quality of eggs people are providing for their families and also having that local Minnesota farmer support,” said Zimmer.

The idea developed during Zimmer’s recovery, when they couldn’t travel the distance to pick up the high-quality feed they typically used. Michelle Zimmer explained that part of the GoFundMe donations helped them get the business started.

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Meanwhile, State Patrol told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS there’s no update in the case, which means the driver who hit Zimmer is still out there.

“I actually don’t blame him, I don’t,” said Zimmer. “It was an accident, and I feel bad that he was in such a place in his life that he couldn’t stay because it’s going to be with him for the rest of his life, not knowing what happened.”

Zimmer said if the driver proactively game to him and apologized, he would forgive them.



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Minneapolis, MN

Man killed over Louie Vuitton bag, suspect was on bond for suspected carjacking, charges say

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Man killed over Louie Vuitton bag, suspect was on bond for suspected carjacking, charges say


Minneapolis police are investigating a homicide on Feb. 24, 2026.  (FOX 9)

A man is dead after a witness said he refused to give up a Louis Vuitton bag while being robbed by multiple men at gunpoint. 

Abdirahman Khayre Khayre, 20, is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery for the incident that happened on the evening of Feb. 24 in Minneapolis. 

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READ MORE: Man fatally shot in south Minneapolis apartment building

Fatal Minneapolis shooting after robbery 

The set-up:

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Minneapolis police responded around 10:42 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Abbott Apartments, located on the 100 block of East 18th Street in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Officers then found a dead man in the lobby who had been shot multiple times. 

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A witness to the shooting said he and the victim arrived at the apartments to “hang out” with Khayre, according to the criminal complaint. 

The witness said he became suspicious when Khayre he left the room multiple times and “appeared to be stalling.”

The robbery:

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The complaint states the witness reported three men then came into the room and yelled “Give me everything.” The men were armed with Glock handguns that had extended magazines as well as an AR-style rifle.

They then stole two guns from the witness, and one of them was handed to Khayre.

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When the men demanded a Louis Vuitton bag from the victim, he refused, leading to a fight between them all.

The shooting:

The witness said when he walked toward them, Khayre pointed the witness’ stolen gun at him and racked it. 

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The witness then got out of the room, ran toward the lobby and heard multiple gunshots. He then saw two of the men flee out the back of the building, but didn’t see what direction they went in.

The victim was then found dead. 

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The aftermath:

Khayre was then identified by the witness in a photo lineup, according to the criminal complaint. 

Police say video footage corroborated much of what the witness reported.

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Khayre was on conditional release for a suspected carjacking at the time of the shooting, according to the complaint. 

The Source: This story uses information gathered from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County and previous FOX 9 reporting. 

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Minnesota’s Iranian community: Mixed emotions on US-Israel strike

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Minnesota’s Iranian community: Mixed emotions on US-Israel strike


The local Iranian community in Minnesota is expressing mixed emotions following the recent joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran.

Local reactions to the strike

What we know:

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The strike resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to President Donald Trump and Iranian state media. Many Iranians in Minnesota feel this could lead to freedom for their country.

Nazanin Naferipoor shared that her sister in Iran was initially happy about the strike, believing it might bring about freedom. However, communication has been cut off since the strike began, leaving many worried about their loved ones.

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The other side:

Hamid Kashani from the Minnesota Committee in Support of a Democratic Iran expressed mixed feelings about the strike. While he hopes for change, he is concerned about the potential loss of innocent lives.

Fazy Kowsari emphasized that the attack targeted the government, not the religion, and criticized the political motivations behind the strike.

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Upcoming rally at Nicollet Mall

Why you should care:

A rally is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street. Organizers view the U.S. strike as a rescue operation for Iranians held hostage by the regime, rather than an act of war.

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Ex-MN Twins Pitcher Sentenced For Shooting His In-Laws

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Ex-MN Twins Pitcher Sentenced For Shooting His In-Laws


AUBURN, CA — Former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering his father-in-law and attempting to murder his mother-in-law in a 2021 ambush-style shooting at a Lake Tahoe-area home.

A Placer County jury previously found Serafini, 51, guilty of fatally shooting 70-year-old Gary Spohr and seriously wounding Spohr’s wife, 68-year-old Wendy Wood, on June 5, 2021, at their home on the lake’s west shore. Wood survived the attack but died a year later.

In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said that Spohr and Wood were loving grandparents and detailed how Serafini’s crimes had affected the couple’s family members and friends.

“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.

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On the day of the shooting, Serafini’s wife, the victims’ daughter, had taken the children to the lake to visit their grandparents.

Prosecutors said the deadly ambush stemmed from a dispute over a $1.3 million investment in a ranch renovation project. The victims had reportedly contributed the money.

In one text message shown in court, Serafini wrote, “I’m gonna kill them one day,” referencing a dispute over $21,000, prosecutors said.

He also sent other threatening messages, including “I will be coming after you” and “Take me to court,” according to ABC10.

Jurors also found Serafini guilty of several “special circumstance” sentencing enhancements, including lying in wait, use of a firearm, and that the attack was willful, deliberate and premeditated. He was also convicted of first-degree burglary.

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Prosecutors had also charged Serafini with child endangerment, saying he put his infant and toddler sons at risk by having a gun in the home. Jurors found him not guilty on that count.

The case also involved a second defendant, 33-year-old Samantha Scott, who pleaded guilty to being an accessory in February, according to the New York Post.

A left-hander, Serafini was a 1992 first-round pick for the Minnesota Twins. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, pitching for six MLB teams over seven seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.





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