Friends, family mourning north Minneapolis man killed in a hit-and-run crash hope for answers

After a violent hit-and-run crash took the life of Kevin Dodge-Fjelbroten, friends and family are looking for answers.

“Kevin was my baby, he was my youngest,” says Kathy DuFoe, the 23-year old’s mother. “He was just a good kid and he’s just gone way too soon.”

“It’s just really emotional,” adds Mark Wredberg, Dodge-Fjelbroten’s longtime roommate. “Everybody that ever met Kevin loved him. He was very kind, he was outgoing. He’d go out of his way if you asked him to do something, he’d do it.”

Minneapolis Police say they were called to West Broadway Avenue near 26th Avenue North around 10:30 p.m. Friday. Authorities say arriving officers found Dodge-Fjelbroten lying in the road and an abandoned Ford Taurus with front-end damage just up the street.

“He bolted across diagonally and the car came out of nowhere,” recalls Josh Denstedt, who says he was crossing West Broadway with Dodge-Fjelbroten as they were walking to a friend’s house.

Denstedt says the Taurus, heading westbound, hit Dodge-Fjelbroten and kept going.

He says the car then stopped before two young women got out and ran off.

"Car hit him and the car was dragging him,” Denstedt remembers. “And the car hit the side of the curb and at the same time. After that happened, the girls got out and booked it down the street."

Police say the Taurus appeared to be traveling above the posted speed limit.

Denstedt thinks the car was going as fast as 70 mph.

“I have seen pictures of the car, and it was horrible,” DuFoe says. “I do know from the doctors that Kevin did not have a pulse at the scene, although they did try CPR."

DuFoe says she hasn’t yet spoken with police.

She says her son had previously worked for the Twins and the Vikings but wasn’t called back for work because of the pandemic. DuFoe also says he had struggled with drugs and health issues in recent years but was doing better.

“He struggled in school with his autism and his Asperger’s as he grew up," DuFoe said. "He learned to take care of himself and do things on his own.”

But there were also good times.

DuFoe and Wredberg say Dodge-Fjelbroten was a huge "Star Wars" fan.

“Kevin and I could sit and watch ‘Star Wars’ all day,” DuFoe smiles. “When we went to the movie theaters and stuff, he was a big fan of Star Wars.”

Family members and friends planning a vigil at the scene Sunday night say they are still trying to come to terms with a terrible loss.

"Because of what these people did to my friend who was innocent and never meant any harm, to get killed in this way, for the people to get away with this is unspeakable,” Wredberg said.

Police say they are still investigating but have made no arrests. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers or the Minneapolis Police Department.

From DuFoe, an urgent plea.

"A parent shouldn’t be burying her child,” she said. “People need to come forward and talk about this stuff."