Minneapolis, MN
Minnesotans gather to mourn and honor Oklahoma nonbinary teen Nex Benedict
Outside the Minneapolis Teacher’s Federation, on a chilly Friday evening, gatherers held candles to mourn, celebrate and honor the life of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student who died after a fight at Owasso High School in Oklahoma.
Benedict identified as nonbinary, a term used by people who identify with a gender that is not male or female, a person whose gender identity is more expansive.
Student organizers from the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at Edison High School in northeast Minneapolis organized the vigil in honor of Nex.
“Everybody in GSA thought if we act now, it might create a big enough impact to at least show some respect for Nex,” said Kam, a GSA high school student organizer.
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Attendees gather prior to the start of a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
Throughout the evening, speakers called for political action in Minnesota and across the country to honor Nex Benedict’s life and to protect the safety of transgender youth.
“This is holy ground tonight because we gather to remember Nex Benedict,” said Rev. Justin Sabia-Tanis, associate professor at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. “It is holy because we gather here to remember Nex Benedict. It is holy because you and I are here, and we are sacred, holy people.”
Sabia-Tanis spoke out against anti-transgender policymaking, including bills passed in several states that restrict transgender people from using the bathrooms that fit their gender.
“Those who make anti-trans laws and encourage their passage are complicit in each act of violence that occur because of what they say and because of the laws that they pass,” Sabia-Tanis said.
S.J. Amado and their child Zochi Nelsen-Amado snuggle together during a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, is the chair of the Queer Legislative Caucus. She said in the days since the news broke, she finds herself “unable to stop apologizing to Nex.”
“I am sorry you will not find your way in this world,” said Finke, “I’m sorry you will not experience the radical joy of queer adulthood. I am sorry you will not live the fullest realities of a whole human life.”
Several of the evening’s speakers addressed Nex Benedict’s death as a part of the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Benedict’s mother was a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Nation, added to the calls for accountability on the part of policymakers, including Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma. In 2022, Stitt signed a bill requiring public school students to use bathrooms according to the gender listed on their birth certificates.
Rev. Mary Visas of the Federation of Christian Ministries during a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
“This did not happen on accident. Policies have consequences,” said Flanagan.
Flanagan observed that she and Stitt, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, are the only two Native Americans to hold executive offices in state government across the country.
“As an Anishinaabekwe, I cannot say that it is all right with our Indigenous values that our children are bullied and made to suffer and are hurting,” said Flanagan.
“It is not who we are. That is not where we come from, and we will continue to do everything in the state of Minnesota, but that is not enough,” said Flanagan.
GSA student organizers say they need bathroom solutions
Student organizers with Gender and Sexual Alliance organizers were accompanied at the vigil by their teacher Amelia Marquez.
Marquez recalled moving from Montana to seek greater safety in Minnesota as a transgender person and called on allies of transgender youth in helping to create safe spaces in schools.
Jane Robertson of Lino Lakes holds a transgender pride flag during a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
“These kids should not be afraid to go to the bathroom to go to in our schools here in Minneapolis and St. Paul,” said Marquez.
GSA student organizer Keeda Johnson said students need “bathroom solutions.” “We need a community who is going to stick up for our LGBTQ+ rights,” said Johnson.
“The genderqueer students have to stand and sit and sometimes even to go the nurse like we are sick because we have to go to the bathroom,” said Johnson. “It’s humiliating to have to go to the nurse and say ‘we have to pee’ because there is not a bathroom that fits our gender identity. It hurts, it makes me at least feel like something is wrong.”
Johnson encouraged youth to seek out resources which affirm their gender identity.
A sign is displayed during a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
A Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to murdering a high school student in 2022 was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison on Monday.
It was the second time Cody Fohrenkam was sentenced for fatally shooting 15-year-old Deshaun Hill. He was convicted and sentenced to more than 38 years in prison in February 2023, but the Minnesota Court of Appeals later reversed the conviction and granted him a retrial based on illegally obtained incriminating statements.
Fohrenkam, 33, agreed to a plea deal as his second trial was set to start, pleading guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder in exchange for Monday’s 340-month sentence. The judge presiding over the hearing gave him credit for 1,476 days already served.
Fohrenkam shot and killed Hill while Hill was walking to a bus stop just blocks from Minneapolis North High School, where Hill was a star quarterback and honor roll student.
One of Hill’s aunts said in a statement shortly before the judge sentenced Fohrenkam that her nephew was “full of life.”
“When he spoke, you listened. He had a soft spirit and a good heart,” she said. “Deshaun was an artist who, as you all know, he took his education seriously. He had dreams and goals. He worked hard to make his family proud.”
This story will be updated.
A man is now charged with murder after prosecutors say a robbery inside a Minneapolis apartment building ended in a fatal shooting.
Prosecutors say the man was on conditional release after being charged with first-degree armed carjacking for an incident in Minneapolis last September.
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The killing happened Feb. 24 inside the Abbott Apartments lounge area on the 100 block of East 18th Street, where police found an adult man dead from gunshot wounds after reports of a shooting.
Court documents state the victim and a friend went to the building to meet 20-year-old Abdirahman Khayre Khayre. A witness stated Khayre left the room several times and appeared to be stalling before three armed men entered and demanded property. The men were described as carrying two Glock-style handguns with extended magazines and an AR-style rifle. During the robbery, the suspects demanded a Louis Vuitton bag belonging to the victim. When the victim resisted, a struggle broke out. The witness stated that two guns were taken from him during the robbery.
The witness told investigators Khayre was handed one of the stolen guns and then pointed it at him, causing him to flee into the lobby. Moments later, multiple gunshots were heard. The witness returned and found the victim shot. Surveillance footage from other areas of the building reportedly corroborated key parts of the account, and the witness later identified Khayre in a photo lineup, according to the complaint.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Shot and Killed Inside Minneapolis Apartment Building
Authorities say Khayre was on conditional release at the time of the killing in a separate Hennepin County case involving a September 2025 armed carjacking.
READ MORE > Minneapolis coverage
In that earlier case, prosecutors alleged Khayre and others confronted a woman in a garage near 19th Street and Nicollet Avenue, pointed handguns at her and forced her to give up the keys to a Dodge Challenger before fleeing in the stolen vehicle. Officers later located the vehicle and arrested multiple suspects, including Khayre, who was identified as the driver.
Court records show Khayre posted a $75,000 non-cash bond and was released under conditions requiring him to remain law-abiding, have no possession of firearms or ammunition, avoid alcohol and controlled substances and complete treatment.
Khayre is now charged with second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony and first-degree aggravated robbery. He made an initial court appearance Friday, where a judge set bail at $1 million. If convicted of second-degree felony murder, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
The homicide investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the victim. Anyone with information is asked to contact Minneapolis police by emailing policetips@minneapolismn.gov or calling 612-673-5845. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online. Information leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a financial reward.
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Minneapolis, MN
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)
MINNEAPOLIS (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.
READ MORE: Man fatally shot in south Minneapolis apartment building
Fatal Minneapolis shooting after robbery
The set-up:
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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