Charges: Driver was drunk when he fatally hit man in Minneapolis intersection, then fled

The motorist lives a couple of blocks from where the man was hit and died.

March 8, 2021 at 12:46PM

A motorist was drunk when he killed a man in a hit-and-run crash in north Minneapolis last week, according to charges filed Monday.

Henry L. Brown, 54, was charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the death of Jerry L. Johnson, 49, of Minneapolis, who was run over late Thursday afternoon near N. 30th and Morgan avenues. He died at the scene.

Brown, who lives a block or so from where Johnson was hit, remains jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail and ahead of a court appearance Tuesday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Brown's criminal history in Minnesota includes two drunken driving convictions and at least nine for driving after his license was canceled.

According to the criminal complaint:

A report of Johnson being run over sent officers to the intersection, where they saw the man on the ground.

On residential surveillance video, police saw the SUV as it hit Johnson walking across the intersection.

"There was room in the street for the vehicle to pass [Johnson] without striking him," the charges read.

Police found the SUV the next day and received a 911 call from Brown's girlfriend, who said she saw news coverage of the crash and suspected he was the wanted driver.

She said she arrived home and saw Brown in the SUV, appearing to be intoxicated. Brown admitted to her "that he struck something" with her vehicle.

Brown told police he had been drinking but did not remember hitting Johnson and "did not mean for the incident to happen," the complaint read.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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