June 21st 2023.
The Muslim community in Minneapolis is in mourning following a tragic car crash that took the lives of five young women. Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, Sahra Liban Gesaade, Sagal Burhaan Hersi, Siham Adan Odhowa, and Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali, all of whom were under the age of 21, were all pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver responsible for the crash was later identified as Derrick Thompson, who was seen speeding on Interstate 35 by a Minnesota State Patrol trooper. The vehicle proceeded through a red light at the intersection of Lake Street and 2nd Avenue and crashed into the vehicle occupied by the five women.
The women were out for the evening celebrating a wedding planned for the next day. All of them had promising futures ahead, with Ali having just graduated from high school and planning to attend the University of Minnesota, where Odhowa was already a student. Abdikadir attended Normandale College, and Gesaade was poised to begin her junior year at the University of Minnesota at Rochester. Hersi was a student at Minneapolis College.
A fundraiser has been set up to assist the families of those killed in the crash. To date, the fund has raised close to $430,000. Dar Al Farooq Center’s Mosque Director Khalid Omar said of the women, “We’re talking about the pearls. We’re talking about the bright stars of our community.” Omar went on to say that the five friends were inseparable and that the healing process is going to take some serious time. “Losing anyone, that’s a tragedy. But losing five young people in a crash at the same time is something that is very hard to process,” he said.
According to the Associated Press, Thompson has a history of hit-and-run, having served time in a California prison for the same crime. This tragedy serves as a reminder of the fragility of life and how quickly our time here on Earth can be taken away.
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