Suspected Drunk Driver Charged with Homicide in Fatal MN Crash

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- The driver accused of causing a fatal crash along I-94 in Minneapolis is facing a homicide charge.

See Also: Two Lives Lost in Rural Minnesota Head-on Crash

First responders were dispatched to the deadly seven-vehicle pile-up around 9:15 Wednesday night. It happened on an I-94 exit ramp west of downtown Minneapolis.

A preliminary State Patrol crash investigation described in the criminal complaint says a pick-up driven by 29-year-old Talon Covie-Cadrell Walker of St. Paul was estimated to have been traveling at 100 mph when it side-swiped and SUV then smashed into the back of a Jeep.

Charges: Liquor Bottle Found in Suspect's Vehicle at Scene of Deadly I-94 Crash in Minneapolis

The collision triggered a chain-reaction crash that involved three other vehicles, the warrant complaint says.

Get our free mobile app

26-year-old Natalie Gubbay of Minneapolis was identified as the driver of the Jeep. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the court document.

20-year-old Taniyah Renee Randle-Smith of St. Paul was riding with Covie-Cadrell. She was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, an updated version of the state crash report says.

Getty Images

A total of nine people, including a two-year-old boy and Covie-Cadrell, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The toddler, Covie-Cadrell and four of the nine people needed further medical care at a hospital, according to the State Patrol.

Troopers found a partially opened full bottle of liquor on the driver’s side of the vehicle Covie-Cadrell was driving, the complaint says. His license was also revoked in June of 2021, according to court records.

Talon Covie-Cadrell Walker complaint. Olmsted County Court

Law enforcement obtained a sample of the St. Paul man’s blood for testing at the hospital. The results are pending as of Friday morning.

Covie-Cadrell is charged with a count of criminal vehicular homicide. He’s set to make his first court appearance Friday afternoon.