Deona Marie Knajdek Erickson Wiki – Deona Marie Knajdek Erickson Bio
Deona Marie Knajdek Erickson was the Minneapolis woman who killed when a driver plowed an SUV into protesters. Knajdek was protesting the fatal police shooting of Winston Smith. She was killed and three other protesters were injured during the June 13, 2021, incident in Minnesota city.
Deona Marie used her car to shield protesters during the #WinstonSmith protest uptown Minneapolis which resulted in savings MANY lives tonight. We can never repay her for the sacrifice she made, but we will honor her Monday night. #BREAKING #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/b80jEuVYdN
— Visual Black Justice (@VBJ_Minneapolis) June 14, 2021
Age
Deona Marie Knajdek Erickson was 31 years old as of 2021.
Erickson was a mother of two young daughters, her brother told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The other victims of the incident suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said on Twitter. The driver is in custody, Minneapolis Police said in a statement on Twitter. Authorities have not officially identified the suspect or said what charges he is facing or could face.
incident Details
The incident happened about 11:40 p.m. as protesters were gathered at Lake Street and Girard Avenue. Few details have been released by police so far. On Monday, June 14, the department said no further updates were expected that day. Erickson was taken to a local hospital after the crash, where she was pronounced dead, according to police.
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Deona Marie Knajdek Erickson Facebook
Erickson recently posted on Facebook on June 12, “This coming up week we shall forever call ‘Deona In The Making week.’” She included a photo of a calendar with Wednesday, June 16, marked down as her 32nd birthday, and Friday, June 18, as the celebration of being sober for one year.
“This last year, she finally started to blossom and be an adult,” Garrett Knajdek told WCCO-TV. “She was doing good. She had two daughters that she was finally getting back in touch with…building strength. This just…took her away.”
On June 10 she wrote on Facebook, “You protested because it was trendy and ‘everyone was doing it’ I protest because people are out here dying‼️ I promise you we are NOT the same.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement, “The right to peacefully assemble and protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Last night’s tragic events resulted in the loss of a community member exercising that fundamental right and the injury of several others. We are keeping the victim’s family and friends close as they grieve the loss of a loved one.”
Deona Marie Knajdek Erickson Brother Statement
Erickson’s brother, Garrett Knajdek, told KARE-TV, “She was probably the most wonderful person you could ever imagine. She would in the most literal sense tear the shirt off her back to make sure someone was warm. No matter how dark her life was and how bad things got, she was doing everything she could to take care of somebody else and provide for them.” He said he is, “still trying to process the fact that my sister, my lifelong friend is gone.”
He added, “No matter what she was doing, whether people agree with it or disagree with it, they need to understand that she was my sister and she was somebody’s daughter and she was a hero to a lot of people… and just have some respect for that no matter if you agree with her views or not. everybody has their opinions and you should stand up for them no matter what they are, and she should be an example for everybody to do something better with the world.”
