Staff Directory 6370413

Abby Simons

Team Leader | Public Safety
Phone: 651-925-5043

Abby Simons is the Star Tribune’s Public Safety Editor. Her team covers crime and courts across the metro. She joined the Star Tribune in 2008 and previously reported on crime, courts and politics.


Simons is a 2004 graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, where she studied journalism. Before joining the Star Tribune, she was a reporter for the Des Moines Register. Simons lives in Minneapolis.
Recent content from Abby Simons
Naema Ali and her cousins posed for a selfie after a family picnic at Boom Island Park on Aug. 20 in Minneapolis.

Behind the story: One night in Minneapolis

A Q&A with Star Tribune reporter Andy Mannix
Man dead, woman questioned after shooting at Minneapolis townhome

Man dead, woman questioned after shooting at Minneapolis townhome

An argument preceded the shooting, police said.
Dallas-based Amir Locke was 22 and visiting friends and family in Minnesota when he was killed by Minneapolis police executing a no-knock warrant.

BCA releases file in Amir Locke death, including more video

Newly released body camera videos by state investigators show additional angles of the chaotic seconds before 22-year-old Amir Locke was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer during a predawn raid two months ago.
Police were on the scene of a shooting Monday outside a St. Paul funeral home

Man shot and killed outside St. Paul funeral is identified

Police say the shooting involved a gang dispute.
The Minnesota state prison at Stillwater remained on lockdown Monday, Feb. 21, after an inmate assaulted and injured two corrections officers during a

Stillwater prison remains on lockdown following weekend attack on two correctional officers

Both were treated for their injuries and released.
As Courtney Ross, the girlfriend of George Floyd, front, became emotional while speaking, Tiffany Brown, the sister of Jamar Clark, left to right, Kat

Families of Black men killed by police in Minnesota demand justice for Amir Locke

Students march in solidarity, group lays out plans for change
Body cam footage released of Minneapolis police during a search warrant operation Wednesday that ultimately led to the fatal shooting of Amir Locke in

Video: Locke, under blanket, holds gun as officers enter, fire

The 55-second video shows officers at the downtown Minneapolis apartment unit to serve a search warrant in connection with a St. Paul homicide investigation. Amir Locke was not the subject of the warrant.
Minneapolis police shot and killed a man Wednesday morning near a downtown apartment building across from Orchestra Hall while serving an arrest warra

Man shot, killed by Mpls. police was armed with handgun, interim chief says

The shooting reportedly happened just before 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning near a downtown Minneapolis apartment building across from Orchestra Hall.
Activist Mel Reeves delivered a prepared statement to the media in 2017 in response to the shooting of 25-year-old Chard Robertson, of Minneapolis, by

Longtime civil rights activist Mel Reeves dies of complications from COVID

Reeves, 64, was at the forefront of community activism.
Protesters gather outside a downtown condominium complex to demand that Hennepin District Judge Regina Chu allow the broadcasting of ex-officer Kim Po

Demands against judge in Potter trial lead to protest at condo unit

The man acknowledged going inside the building, but not to intimidate.
Libor Jany, a St. Paul native, joined the Star Tribune in 2013 after working in newsrooms in Connecticut, New Jersey, California and Mississippi.

Star Tribune reporter Libor Jany named Journalist of the Year by NABJ

Jany is the latest honoree, joining a list of journalistic luminaries.
A man has died four days after he was shot during a dispute on East Lake Street in south Minneapolis, police said.

Victim dies four days after shooting during south Minneapolis dispute

A man has died four days after he was shot during a dispute on East Lake Street in south Minneapolis, police said.The man in his…
Man shot and killed on St. Paul's East Side is identified

Man shot and killed on St. Paul's East Side is identified

Officers responding to a report of a man shot at 6:40 p.m. discovered Kiefer M. Morgan, 30, inside a home.
Authorities ID men who drowned in separate weekend accidents in Fridley, Bloomington

Authorities ID men who drowned in separate weekend accidents in Fridley, Bloomington

Both deaths were ruled accidents, but the Anoka and Hennepin County sheriff's offices are investigating.
At Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis on Tuesday, mourners paid their respects to Aniya Allen during the wake for non-family member

Visitation, services scheduled for Mpls. girl, 6, struck by gunfire while riding in car

Aniya Allen was among three children killed or injured by gunfire in a two-week span.
In this image from video, witness Donald Williams answers questions as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides Monday, March 29, 2021, in the tri

Looking back at key testimony from the Derek Chauvin trial

From eyewitnesses to use-of-force and medical experts, along with police officers, 44 witnesses took the stand over three weeks of testimony in ex-Minneapolis police officer…
In this image from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and defendant, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin address Hennepin County J

A day-by-day recap of the Derek Chauvin murder trial

After nearly three weeks of testimony, the defense rested its case Thursday in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Here's a look back at each day's testimony.
Derek Chauvin was handcuffed and taken into custody after being found guilty on all counts in the death of George Floyd.

What happened each day in the Derek Chauvin trial

Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts in the killing of George Floyd.
Witnesses who testified so far in the Derek Chauvin trial include, clockwise from top left: Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo; HCMC Dr. Bradf

Who were the witnesses in the Derek Chauvin trial?

These are the individuals who testified in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd.
In this screen grab from video, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over jury selection in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Der

Who's who in the courtroom during the Derek Chauvin trial

Here's a look at the major players in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer for the killing of George Floyd.
Police wounded a suspect Thursday morning along Dowling Avenue near Vincent Avenue in an exchange of gunfire.

BCA identifies Minneapolis police officers involved in shootout

The suspect was wounded in an exchange of gunfire, authorities say.
FILE - This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota on June 3, 2020, shows from left, former Minneapolis

Citing 'serious threat to public health,' prosecutors ask judge to reconsider holding two trials in George Floyd's death

Prosecutors asked that all four ex-Minneapolis officers be tried in late summer.
Minneapolis Police Union President Lt. Bob Kroll announced in a letter to members Monday that he is retiring at the end of the month.

Minneapolis police union chief Kroll says he will retire early

He initially planned to retire in May, but "After reviewing the bigger picture, it is in my family's best interest for me to retire four months early."
Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao, center, his attorney Robert Paule, left, and Derek Chauvin’s attorney Eric Nelson, at left, left the Hen

Prosecutors in Floyd case deny defense claims that they delayed sharing evidence

The motion is an attempt by defense attorneys to buy more time, prosecutors allege.
Families of those killed by police marched with hundreds of supporters to the Capitol in St. Paul on Thursday night.

In St. Paul and Minneapolis, hundreds join in second night of protests

No arrests were reported after the marches wrapped up Thursday, one night after 51 people were taken into custody, mostly in south Minneapolis.
Protesters blocked Lake and Chicago in Minneapolis.

51 arrested near Fifth Precinct HQ after protesting Chauvin release

Protesters and law enforcement faced off late Wednesday in south Minneapolis after an earlier march to protest the release from prison of Derek Chauvin.
Lacy Johnson, Republican challenger to U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, speaks in Minneapolis in 2018.

Teen fatally shot in north Minneapolis worked for GOP congressional candidate

Officials at Patrick Henry High school ID'd the teen in a Facebook post and said that grief counselors would be available to students.

14-year-old charged with murder in shooting of St. Paul teen

Witnesses reported someone running from the area following gunfire, and police apprehended the 14-year-old nearby.

Authorities identify victims of recent Minneapolis homicides

Police have not disclosed a possible motive or arrests in any of the shootings.
Minneapolis police responded to the first shooting Wednesday, at Ramp A, 101 N. 9th St.

Both men who died violently in downtown Minneapolis turned to Salvation Army

Police say the men and a woman were in a dispute in a parking garage down the block from Hope Harbor housing when the shooting happened.
Looking took place at the Saks Fifth Avenue Off in downtown Minneapolis.

Unrest in downtown Minneapolis: How it unfolded

The suicide of a man suspected in a murder hours earlier Wednesday sparked rioting and looting across Nicollet Mall.
Police cleared out and secured Saks OFF 5th in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday night after unrest that included looting and smashing of windows.

Minneapolis mayor requests Guard during night of rioting, looting

Minneapolis was under an overnight curfew after crowds smashed downtown windows and looted stores Wednesday night. The crowds came after a report of a man's death on Nicollet Mall. Police responded by saying he was a homicide suspect who shot himself, releasing video from city cameras.
FILE - This combination of file photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows Derek Chauvin,

Judge orders release of police body cam video from night George Floyd died

News outlets and the public can now obtain copies of the video after a challenge by media.
Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, right, walks out of the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility on Monday afternoon June 20, 2020, in Mi

Fired officer Lane's attorney seeks dismissal of charges in Floyd's death

Transcripts of body-worn camera footage from the night George Floyd was killed and of an interview with one of the officers at the scene were also filed in court.
File photo: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo.

What you need to know about Minneapolis chief's plans to reform police department

On Wednesday, Chief Medaria Arradondo revealed the first two steps he plans to take.
Homicide claimed 31 people in St. Paul in 2019, the highest number since the record of 34 slayings set in the mid-1990s.

The names and faces of St. Paul's deadly year

Homicide claimed 31 people in St. Paul in 2019, the highest number since the record of 34 slayings set in the mid-1990s. The majority of the victims were young men of color who lost their lives to gun violence.
Eugene "Geno" Smith

St. Paul police officer cleared in fatal shooting during drug raid

Evidence shows Eugene "Geno" Smith fired a shotgun at the task force officer.
Minnesota builders no longer have to install sprinkler systems in large new homes, after they won their legal battle against the year-old fire safety

Minnesota builders win a court battle against home sprinkler mandate

Year-old rule mandated installation in houses larger than 4,500 square feet.
Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, 20, of Eagan

Lawyer says ISIL defendant had no ability to build anti-aircraft rockets

Abdirizak Warsame never had the ability to build anti-aircraft rockets, his attorney says.
Supreme Court Justice Christopher Dietzen led the discussion of changes to drug sentencing guidelines at the commission meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Minn. Sentencing Guidelines Commission signs off on drug sentencing reform

Proponents say changes create statewide standard and promote treatment.
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Christopher Dietzen listened to testimony during Wednesday’s public hearing on drug sentencing.

Plan to redo drug sentencing draws an emotional response

Sentencing Guidelines Commission hears from both sides on proposal to reduce prison time for low-level offenders.

Mpls. man accused of Twitter threats to FBI agents remains jailed

Abdulkadir's attorney argues that no one was specifically threatened.
Saado Ali Warsame

Son of slain Somali political activist sues money-transfer business

Case alleges that big money-transfer firm helped fund the killers.
Mike Rothman warned that Bitcoin is unregulated, and investors can be harmed without bank backing.

Minnesota commerce commissioner: Bitcoin buyers, beware

 Six years after its introduction to the masses, Bitcoin, the decentralized currency known as “cash for the Internet,” is growing in popularity. Yet it still…
Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan

Ex-Minneapolis student 'Mujahid Miski' denies ties to Islamic State

Former Roosevelt student Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan, arrested in Somalia last month, vows he won't return to the U.S.
Hy Berman

Hy Berman, longtime U professor, political commentator, dies at 90

Teaching history at the U or speaking on issues of the day, Hy Berman was "always engaged."
On a recent Missouri deer hunt, Star Tribune reporter Abby Simons, center, and the doe she shot were flanked by Simons’ friend Phil Replogle, left,

A doe is taken but 'my big buck is still out there'

A novice's second deer hunting season brings on big expectations and a drive for more.
Employees of Estes Funeral Chapel raised their fists to show support for Jamar Clark's family in front of the Fourth Precinct police station November

Mankato officer led Mpls. police to protest shooting suspect

The new information, detailed in a search warrant application, came as officials got an extension until Monday to file charges in the case.
A scene from the YouTube video.

Social media offering picture of men who went to protest 'locked and loaded'

Days after a YouTube video went public, four men were arrested in connection with Monday night's shooting of five protesters.
At the 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis, protesters continued to demand answers over the death of Jamar Clark who was shot and killed by police .

Governor: Ambulance video of shooting is inconclusive

Minneapolis NAACP chief says remarks reinforce need for public to see footage from shooting.
Roger Lee Olsen served two years in Stillwater prison for a rape he didn’t commit.

For those wrongly convicted, Minnesota to make good

State is the 30th to pass a law compensating freed inmates for time served, plus damages.
The work of Timberjay Newspaper’s Marshall Helmberger sparked the creation of the Timberjay bill.

Timberjay bill fails to define 'government function,' creates gray area

  When Gov. Mark Dayton signed what is now known as the “Timberjay bill” last year, open-government advocates cheered, lauding the legislation that in essence…
Somali community leaders Imam Hassan Jamaica Mohamud and Sadik Warfa spoke to the media about the case 9/02/2015

Trial for alleged ISIL recruits pushed to May

Lawyers given more time in wake of new charges.
Former Gov. Jesse Ventura spoke after Tuesday’s hearing in St. Paul, saying, “I was the booster rocket in this book.”

Ventura says he was 'booster rocket' propelling sales of 'American Sniper'

Ventura says he is prepared to fight the case again if retrial is ordered.
In 2011, Jason Lewis warmed up the crowd at Michele Bachmann's "Welcome Home" event at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo, Iowa.

'Mr. Right' Jason Lewis hopes to take his libertarian streak to Washington

Former radio show host Jason Lewis said a slow recession recovery motivated him to run for Second Congressional District seat.
Firearms instructor Rob Doar demonstrated the proper technique for holding a handgun.

Permit-to-carry class offers real-life firearms education

  Gunshots thundered around me as my instructor, Rob Doar, loaded a clip into 9-millimeter Glock 19 and handed it to me. It was lighter…
Ashlee Hutchinson, 23, shot a handgun at a Robbinsdale range. Another mass shooting reignited debate on gun laws.

Tragedy in Oregon spurs fresh gun law debate in Minnesota

In the wake of the latest mass shooting, gun rights supporters remained steadfast that 2nd Amendment should be inviolate, while gun control supporters say they are more motivated than ever.
In this Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015 photo, travelers wait in long security lines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, in Seattle.

REAL ID worries for Minnesota driver's licenses about to get real

Come January, Minnesota driver's license might not suffice at the airport.
Coal is seen stockpiled at the Sherco Generating Station in Becker, Minn., in this 2012 photo.

EPA mandates likely mean changes at Sherco coal plant

Republicans say jobs will be lost; DFLers say it's part of the state's clean-energy revolution.
Ayan Abdurahman right, waited for a ride after attending a hearing for her son Zacharia Abdurahman one of seven defendants charged with conspiring to

Third man in Twin Cities ISIL case pleads guilty

Columbia Heights man names co-conspirators, explains ISIL's appeal to Westernized youth.
Hanad Musse, 19.

'I committed a terrorist act,' Twin Cities ISIL suspect admits

Hanad Musse, one of seven defendants charged with conspiring to leave the United States to fight alongside terrorists in Syria, pleaded guilty in federal court in Minneapolis Wednesday.
Jaylani Hussein, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, was among those criticizing a new government-initiated program to fight terrorist recru

Education, mentoring key in anti-terror recruiting project

The program still received pushback from some Islamic organizations.
Hanad Musse, 19, will appear in federal court on Wednesday.

Defendant in Minneapolis ISIL terror case to plead guilty

Plea negotiations are also underway for at least two other defendants, and agreements could be reached within the next week to 10 days, according to multiple sources.
The Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association announced that Tony Chesak is the new executive director.

New chief of liquor association plans to take new course

  Tony Chesak’s first phone call of the day Thursday was crucial for one of the ­thousands proprietors he represents: Is it legal to take…

Federal judge orders specifics in alleged Twitter death threats

An indictment filed in April against Mahamed Abukar Said, 19, of Minneapolis alleged he threatened authorities, including the U.S. Attorney in Minneapolis and the FBI, with a "massacre."
Somali leaders Imam Hassan Mohamud, left, and Sadik Warfa said they were disappointed a judge didn’t allow supervised release of the seven conspirac

Minnesota judge again denies bail in ISIL case; trial set for Feb. 16

Defense attorneys were visibly frustrated by judge's ruling in the case of seven young Somali-American men charged with conspiring to support the terror group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
Hawo Mohamed Hassan, left, and Amina Farah Ali entering the federal courthouse during their 2011 trial.

Federal appeals court upholds women's prison sentences in terror case

The appeals court said the evidence warrants the sentences for supporting al-Shabab.

Plot by 7 from Twin Cities to join ISIL was long in making

Fearing their arrests were imminent, seven Somali-American men tried to get out of the country last spring to fight alongside terrorists in Syria before FBI agents could catch up to them, according to new evidence released Friday by federal prosecutors.

Lawyers for Minnesota terror suspects argue ISIL not terrorist organization

Attorneys for 7 suspects in FBI case are also seeking lighter security at trial, saying it could influence jury.
Clockwise, Hanad Mustafe Musse, 19, Guled Omar, 20, Zacharia Yusuf Adurahman, 19, and Adnan Abdihamid Farah, 19. They are four of six Minnesota men of

Informant in Twin Cities terrorism case paid $41K by FBI

Defense attorneys say payments undermine the informant's credibility.
A Muslim cleric walks toward the courthouse for a pretrial hearing for three local men accused of conspiring to leave the country to support or join I

Accused ISIL recruits from Twin Cities denied release by federal judge

U.S. district judge to weigh options for "deradicalization" before release
Halima Yusuf, a friend of terror suspect Hanad Mustafe Musse’s family, wept for the young men outside the U.S. Courthouse in St. Paul.

Government: Alleged ISIL conspirator says deradicalization 'hopeless'

Both sides file documents in fight over release of three of the suspects.
Mohamed Ali Omar

Man convicted of threatening FBI agents now faces new gun charges

Charges in the October incident follow Mohamed Ali Omar's release from federal custody
After seven months in detention, Mohamed Ali Omar, right, was greeted by family members outside the federal courthouse Tuesday.

Minneapolis man who threatened FBI released prior to sentencing

Convicted of threatening FBI agents, Mohamed Ali Omar must wear monitor bracelet until sentencing.
Rosemary Dosch talked about how she sued jeweler Dan Rohricht in 2008 for allegedly selling her gold Rolex after she took it in for repairs. in her ho

Did jeweler loot his own store?

Daniel Rohricht was accused of stealing from his bankrupt business. He admits he is not "lily-white," but he said he is no "mini-Denny' Hecker."