Authorities have identified a man killed in a car crash following a rolling gun battle in Minneapolis' Shingle Creek neighborhood earlier this week as Kelontay Croom, 22, of St. Paul.
The incident that culminated with Croom's death began just before 2 a.m. Thursday when a pair of vehicles carrying members of the "Highs" and "Lows" gang factions — determined by whether they hailed from north or south of W. Broadway — started exchanging gunfire while heading eastbound on 53rd Avenue N., a source close to the investigation said. After a short chase, both of the vehicles crashed near the intersection of 53rd and Logan avenues N., the source said. Most of the participants were gone by the time police arrived.
Croom died of injuries sustained in the crash, the Hennepin County medical examiner's office said on Friday. A woman from the other vehicle, whose identity wasn't released, was later taken to a hospital with noncritical injuries, police said.
Croom's death prompted an outpouring of shock and grief from family members and friends online, who remembered him as outgoing and devoted to his family.
Detectives are exploring the possibility that the incident was connected to a drive-by shooting last weekend in which three people were injured.
Police haven't announced any arrests in either incident.
