Funeral crowd memorializes 5 victims of Friday night Lake Street crash

BURNSVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A massive crowd gathered Monday afternoon to memorialize the five young ladies killed Friday by a suspected impaired driver.

An entire soccer field was covered with at least 1,200 people as they mourned the five victims from the local Somali community.

A sea of Muslims kneeled in prayer, foreheads to the ground, hoping to help five young ladies get on a path to heaven.

"We’re are here begging Allah to accept them into paradise," said Sheikh Saaid Shire of Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center.

The victims are all between the ages of 17 and 20.

The crowd prayed for their souls at Dar Al Farooq, the Bloomington Islamic Center where they frequently volunteered and took care of the mosque.

"They didn’t kill anybody," said Shire. "They didn’t rob anybody. They were righteous to their parents. I saw all their parents. They loved them and they were obedient to them."

They’d gone out Friday night for a short trip to prepare for a friend’s wedding.

Minneapolis police say a driver sped off Interstate 35W at Lake Street, ran a red light, and smashed into their car.

A family friend tells me their story resonates because they were all so young.

Instead of exploring the bright futures ahead of them, they’re now buried at a cemetery in Burnsville.

So the local Muslim community feels connected to the family’s trauma.

"We’re human," said Abdullahi Aden, a friend of one victim's family. "We’re all drawn in. You can see all walks of life show up."

Those families stood front and center for prayers Monday, grieving publicly, but with a sea of hands stretched out in support.

"They’re going through a lot," Aden said. "Because she was bright - all of them were bright."

The suspect was still hospitalized Monday and he’s under guard.

FOX 9 has learned he is Derrick Thompson, the son of former state Rep. John Thompson.

Charges against are expected to be filed as soon as Tuesday.