Suspect in deadly Brooklyn Park crash has recent history of mental health problems
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The suspect who was arrested in connection with the killing of 65-year-old Paul Pfeifer last weekend in Brooklyn Park has been in and out of hospitals due to civil commitments and mental health treatment over the past few years, court records show.
Christopher Dewayne Rice, 46, has been booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide after police say Pfeifer was run over by an SUV in his driveway Saturday evening.
In 2018 and 2019, court records show Rice was committed to treatment programs at the University of Minnesota-Fairview Hospital. Why Rice was released from Fairview — and when — is not clear.
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Then, in June 2020, court documents indicate Rice was charged with aggravated robbery and assault when he tried to steal a car in the same neighborhood where Pfeifer lived. In August of that same year, a judge determined Rice was not mentally competent to stand trial and ordered him to receive treatment at Hennepin County Medical Center — a civil commitment that was set to last until July of 2021.
Suspect in deadly Brooklyn Park crash has recent history of mental health problems
Rice was later released from HCMC, but the date and reason why aren’t clear.
On June 11, Rice’s case manager filed a request with a Hennepin County judge to have him recommitted to HCMC after his case manager determined Rice was a threat to his own safety and the safety of others in the community.
That request was filed in Hennepin County court one day before Pfeifer was killed. But the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office wouldn’t have legal authority to pick up and transport Rice to HCMC at that time because a judge hadn’t yet ruled on the request, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
A spokesperson for the attorney’s office said a judge did order Rice recommitted to HCMC Monday, but he was already in the Hennepin County Jail.
Rice is expected to be charged in connection with Pfeifer’s death Tuesday morning.