Driver in fatal Uptown crash to have jury trial

A man accused of killing a woman in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis when he crashed into a group of protesters this summer will have a jury trial next year.

Court records show Nicholas Kraus will make his next court appearance on Nov. 3 after appearing in court on Wednesday and entering a not guilty plea on charges consisting of second-degree murder and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. His trial is set to begin on March 21, 2022.

The crash killed Deona Knajdek, who was protesting the police shooting of Winston Smith in June.

According to a criminal complaint, officers responded to the area of Lake Street and Girard Avenue on June 13 after receiving a report of a vehicle hitting a group of protesters. When they arrived, they found a man, identified as Kraus, who was being held by people at the scene. Officers noted that Kraus appeared to be visibly intoxicated.

Officers saw a Jeep SUV with front-end damage in the middle of the street. It was later determined Kraus had been the driver of that vehicle. Two people who were hurt at the scene said they saw the SUV approaching the group of people when it hit another vehicle that was acting as a barricade on the street. That second vehicle was pushed into the group of protesters, the witnesses said.

Surveillance video showed the SUV crashing into the parked vehicle and sending it into the crowd of people. The video confirmed witness reports the SUV was accelerating at the time.

During an interview with authorities, Kraus said he had been driving a vehicle in Uptown at the time of the crash. He admitted he saw there was a group of people gathered and also admitted to accelerating "in order to try and jump the barricade." He admitted he thought he had hit another vehicle as well as another person or group of people while he was driving.

The crash also injured three other people, the complaint states.