Liz Sawyer
Reporter
Breaking news, crime and correctionsSawyer graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in newspaper and online journalism. She worships her alma mater's college hoops team and thinks an orange is, in fact, a suitable mascot.
Latest from Liz Sawyer
Police walk a tightrope to maintain community relations amid Twin Cities ICE arrests
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has emerged as one of the most outspoken law enforcement leaders in the nation criticizing ICE tactics.
December 21, 2025
Grand jury indicts Minneapolis man accused of killing ex-girlfriend
David Wright, 51, now faces first-degree murder charges, with the possibility of a mandatory life sentence, in the fatal shooting of 34-year-old Mariah Samuels.
December 12, 2025
Two killed in separate shootings in Minneapolis
The homicides happened within a half hour of each other in different parts of the city Wednesday night. Hours later, an officer fired his service weapon while responding to a person with a gun; no one was injured.
December 11, 2025
Amid criticism from council, Minneapolis police chief defends nearly $20 million in overspending
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a hiring spree is a costly endeavor, while some council members decried a lack of oversight about a large overspend.
December 9, 2025
Minneapolis police arrest man with history of reported abuse in suspicious death of roommate
Scott W. Carlson, 67, was charged with third-degree assault Monday in connection with a July attack against the same woman that left her hospitalized with facial, eye fractures.
December 7, 2025
Former Minneapolis police employee charged with wage theft amid state probe into falsified overtime
The civilian employee is accused of inflating his timesheets with overtime hours he never worked at some community events that never happened.
December 2, 2025
Minneapolis man charged with first-degree murder in ex-girlfriend’s shooting death
David Wright, 51, is accused of shooting Mariah Samuels outside her North Side home less than three weeks after she filed a protective order against him.
November 25, 2025
10 years later, lessons of Jamar Clark police killing in Minneapolis live on
The 24-year-old’s death marked a seminal moment in the Twin Cities police accountability movement, spurring changes in how use-of-force incidents are handled.
November 15, 2025
Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman carjacked by two teen boys
Police confirm two pursuits related to carjackings Monday, leading to four arrests in separate incidents.
November 12, 2025
Editor's Pick
Minneapolis woman’s killing exposes gaps in how police investigate domestic violence
In the aftermath of a brutal assault, department leaders failed to assign an investigator to Mariah Samuels’ case. That’s not uncommon.
October 30, 2025
Timeline of Mariah Samuels case
Nearly one month after she first sought help, Mariah Samuels was killed outside her north Minneapolis home; her ex-boyfriend is charged in her murder.
October 30, 2025
Editor's Pick
The heroes of Annunciation
First responders recall the chaos and trauma of Aug. 27, when a mass shooting at Annunciation Church in south Minneapolis killed two children and wounded more than two dozen others.
October 26, 2025
